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Morning Report: Khabib Nurmagomedov now targeting first UFC title defense sooner than expected

After winning the UFC lightweight title with a five-round decision over Al Iaquinta at UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov said he wasn’t planning to return to fighting until November or December of this year. But now it looks like the champ will be back sooner than anticipated.

Speaking with his fans during a live chat Tuesday, Nurmagomedov announced that his team had begun talks with the UFC about returning to action this fall, either for the September or October pay-per-view event.

“I don’t know when it’s going to be but now we talk about this with the UFC,” Nurmagomedov said.