UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov may be ready to return sooner than most people anticipated.
Nurmagomedov was originally supposed to defend his lightweight title against number-one contender Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April. Then, the coronavirus intervened, stranding Khabib in his home country of Dagestan and forcing the UFC to turn to Justin Gaethje as a replacement for Ferguson. The announcement was met with great disappointment as Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is the most anticipated bout in MMA history, having now been cancelled on five separate occasions, and because with the holy month of Ramadan now taking place, it seemed that the lightweight champion would not be able to defend his title until late summer or early fall.