The fight for the interim UFC lightweight title between Khabib Nurmagomedov and American Tony Ferguson has been canceled due to health problems of the Russian. understands the cause of what happened and evaluates future prospects 28-year-old fighter from Dagestan.

What happened

Three hours before the traditional weigh-in ceremony before the fight, Khabib was urgently hospitalized. The father of the athlete Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov confirmed this in an interview with Match TV. “Indeed, Khabib was taken to the hospital. But before weighing another 3 hours, maybe everything will work out. It's either liver problems or kidney stones. We are waiting for information, ”said Nurmagomedov Sr.

Earlier, in an interview with a Lenta.ru correspondent, he noted that his son could perform in a more difficult weight category, since between fights it weighs about 87 kilograms. The duel with Ferguson was supposed to take place in lightweight - up to 70 kilograms. The problem turned out to be precisely this - Nurmagomedov's team reported that a few hours before the weigh-in, Khabib did not fit into prescribed weight, he needed to urgently lose 2.8 to 3 kilograms.

No kidney stones were found in Nurmagomedov, the Russian expressed his readiness to fight, but the fight has already been canceled. One could expect a sharp reaction from the opponent, because Ferguson and Khabib regularly sling mud at each other in the media and in social networks. But Tony showed nobility and only wished his opponent a speedy recovery.

The Russian team responded with courtesy for courtesy. “I sincerely apologize to Tony and his camp. The most important thing on this moment Khabib's health Now he is in his room. We are not thinking about the future yet. Once again, I want to apologize to Tony, his team and all the UFC fans, we really really wanted to make this fight,” said Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz.

A day before the fight, two people at once expressed a desire to replace Nurmagomedov - who lost without a chance to Khabib in November and Nate Diaz, who does not miss a single opportunity to fight, which means making money. Ferguson himself refused to fight Johnson. By the way, it was he who inflicted Tony's only defeat in the UFC in May 2012. Diaz did not fit into the lightweight 70 kilograms. In addition, according to the American, in the event of a replacement, the UFC refused to consider the fight a title fight and significantly reduced Tony's fee.

Foggy prospects

This isn't the first time Nurmagomedov's fight with Ferguson has been disrupted. In December 2015, the fight was canceled due to the injury of the Russian, in April 2016 - due to problems with the American's lung. Khabib's prospects in the strongest promotion in the world are vague, because the winner of their fight with Ferguson was supposed to meet with reigning champion UFC Lightweight Champion Irishman. But he looks at the situation philosophically.

“I do everything I can: I train every day from morning to evening, I live it. I want to perform and please the fans. What does not depend on me, I cannot guarantee or fulfill, ”Khabib said.

Nurmagomedov Sr. calmly reacted to the cancellation of the fight and urged the public not to panic ahead of time. “It was the right decision. You can't risk your health. The future of Khabib's career will be discussed later, in a week. He can still perform for two years, ”summed up the father of the fighter.

Over the past month, two fights with the participation of top Russian fighters. On February 19, the duel with American Matt Mitrione was canceled. Athletes who are under the contract of the second most powerful promotion in the world - Bellator, did not enter the octagon due to kidney stones found in Mitrione.

With the future of Emelianenko, everything is clear. If Mitrione does not have time to recover, then another American fighter, Mohammed Laval, will become the rival of the Russian. The fight is scheduled for May-June 2017. But what awaits Nurmagomedov is still unclear. The only plus of the story with the cancellation of the fight is that Khabib's defeat column still has zero.

- On the eve of the fight with Edson Barboza, it turned out that you have a new addition to your family and now you are the proud father of a boy and a girl. Did it serve as additional motivation during the fight?

- Yes, it certainly motivated me a lot: after all, my second child was born on the day of the battle. And I entered the cage with the thought that my son would watch this fight when he grew up. And this is not weak motivation!

- Do you think you will bring him to the gym one day, help him take his first steps in mixed martial arts, so that he follows in your footsteps?

- I think yes. Sports training, including at school, benefits children and young people. I do not know what awaits him in the future, but he will train for sure. Maybe even fight bears. Let's see.

- We know that you try not to talk about your personal life in the press and among fans. But maybe still share the name of the future champion?

His name is Mohammed.

- On the eve and after your fight with Barboza, they talked a lot about the weigh-in procedure ...

- I did a great job. I reached the right weight and came to the ceremony. And, if necessary, I can repeat it again. Ferguson says I didn't reach the championship weight. But why is this necessary when you can show 70.8 kg or 70.5 kg? What is the point of stopping the scale at 70.3 kg? If next time I need it, I'll do it. And I'll show you that it's not a problem for me.

You were calm and confident in yourself. Can this be called part of your new fight preparation? And what helps you achieve that attitude?

- I think everything came together here: a serious motivation, a thirst for victory, the birth of a son. That day everything worked out. I don’t know if I will ever be able to repeat this, because then I not only became a father for the second time, but also showed one of best fights of the year. After all, it was not easy! At least that's what the UFC thinks. So for me it's just the perfect day.

- Your father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov often criticizes you for mistakes in fights - despite the fact that you have not lost a single round in UFC. What did he say about your meeting with Barbosa?

We often talk about this fight. My father thinks that I am too much, that some caution should be exercised, since the opponents are still too dangerous. Barboza has a great kick, boxing is great and can land a very dangerous jumping knee. We talk a lot about it, but the most important thing is victory. If you win, nothing else matters. So yes, we often discuss fights with my father. And not only fights with Barboza - everyone else too.

- It is known that your fight with Tony Ferguson will take place in April. In the UFC stated that you would fight for a real belt, not a temporary one. Technically, this means that . However, Dana White shied away from answering the question about Conor's title. Why do you think they don't want to make it official?

“I discussed this situation with Dana and the others. They say we will fight for the vacant undisputed title. It's not Conor's belt, it's not Tony Ferguson's interim belt, it's a vacant belt. The fight will take place on April 7, and the next day they will have to officially announce that the winner of this fight becomes the real champion. Tony Ferguson is currently the interim champion. Conor is called the reigning champion, but he did not defend his belt. The winner of our fight with Ferguson will become a real champion.

• Nurmagomedov about the fight with Ferguson

- What do you think is the most dangerous thing about Tony's fighting style: his unconventional style, his jiu-jitsu techniques, or maybe something else?

“I doubt he is superior to me in jiu-jitsu or grappling. He seems a little unpredictable to me. Tony has a good knee and elbow strike. But he has hardly ever met an opponent like me before, who is able to apply crazy pressure and control the fight in a position from above - that is, strong and good in any technique. I will demonstrate all this when we are left one on one in the cage. We are adversaries different levels.

- Your fight with Ferguson should- the New York area, where, as you know, the proportion of the Russian-speaking population is high. Last year you had a fan meeting in America. How did you feel seeing such a large number of Russian-speaking fans supporting you abroad?

- One can hardly say that only Russians support me: I have a lot of fans both in America and around the world. Initially, the UFC planned to organize a fight in Seattle, Washington. But when I was offered to participate in the fight and I agreed, they decided to hold it in Brooklyn. In general, the transfer occurred because of me, not because of Ferguson. Apparently, the UFC is now starting to support and promote me. Now we will change a lot.

— Recently it became known that the UFC also plans to organize an event in Russia and that a venue in Moscow has already been booked for this. Do you have any information about this event? Your father said that you are most likely. IN UFCHave you discussed this issue with you?

— We discussed this issue with Dana. But, according to him, there is no official decision. Yes, work is underway in this direction. But he says that they have difficulties - in the sense that it is not so easy to do business with Russian businessmen, since this is Russia and everything here is not like in other countries. Here you need to do things a little differently.

The media reports that Russian businessman acquired a stake in WME-IMG, which owns 90% of the UFC. Many journalists suggest that this businessman could be your friend, who supports you in many ways, Ziyavudin Magomedov. Is this reliable information?

“Honestly, I don't know anything about it. Ziyavudin planned to promote Fight Nights. And to be honest, I have not heard anything about buying a 10% stake in the UFC.

- If you manage to win the belt in a fight with Tony Ferguson, then it is logical to assume that then you will have to defend it in a duel with Conor McGregor in Russia. Given the Irishman's options, including a fight with Nate Diaz, would he agree to fight you? Since he will most likely lose the belt and, accordingly, he will no longer have to defend his title. Do you think he will accept your challenge?

“McGregor can fight Nate Diaz, he can box, but if I beat Tony Ferguson, it will knock him down. McGregor will have to. He's only fought once in the lightweight division and wants to fight for the title. No! When I become UFC lightweight champion, I will think: “Who is a worthy contender, who has five, six, seven victories? They deserve to fight for the title, not you!” Let's see how things turn out. But I don't think he will agree to fight me. I think he understands how it ends.

• “The winner of the fight will become a real champion”: Nurmagomedov about the fight with Ferguson, the challenge to McGregor and the birth of his son

- In addition to your cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov, a contract withUFCsigned by another fighter with the same surname - Said Nurmagomedov. Is he also your relative? Are you familiar with him?

— With Said? Of course, familiar. He is my good friend, a great fighter. But, although we have the same last name, we are not brothers. I think in the UFC he has good prospects.

“And how is your brother Abubakar doing?”

- He's still. He will fight in Russia in March and then sign a contract.

- In your opinion, what other fighters from Russia have good chances inUFC?

- Two names come to mind: Zabit Magomedsharipov and Islam Makhachev. They are young strong fighters. They are good at everything: punching, grappling, hand-to-hand combat. And besides, they are psychologically stable. They just need to give a little time - and they will show themselves. Perhaps not this year. But in the next one everyone will be talking about them.

Two superfights with the participation of Russian fighters were scheduled for the first weekend of the first month of spring. March 3 in the capital's "Olympic" - the M-1 Challenge 75 tournament with the participation, in which he meets with Paul Bradley. On the night of March 5, Moscow was scheduled to fight the undefeated Russian UFC fighter in Las Vegas with an American Tony Ferguson for the title of interim champion. However, it has been cancelled. "SE" collects the main thing about the two fights.

20.00, Moscow time. The fight is in jeopardy. During the preliminary weigh-in procedure, which is mandatory for fighters (the end is at 22.00 Moscow time), it becomes known: the athlete was hospitalized and he is likely to miss the event.

"Khabib is in the hospital. He suddenly felt a sharp pain, an ambulance was called. There is no exact diagnosis yet - either kidney or liver. Will there be a fight? So far I have no information," the father and trainer of the fighter Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov who did not receive a US visa and stayed at home.

Additional information - Nurmagomedov extremely drove weight. According to some reports, he became ill in the sauna.

22.00. UFC in a press release announces: the fight between and Ferguson canceled on the recommendation of doctors. It is reported that the Russian athlete was hospitalized on Thursday evening due to problems that arose during the "regulation" of the weight. The fighter has already been discharged from the hospital after providing the necessary medical care.

The battle Nurmagomedov And Ferguson breaks down for the third time. In December 2015, the fight did not take place due to the injury of the Russian, and in April 2016, after the refusal of the American due to lung problems.

Alexander SHLEMENKO (left) and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Photo "SE"

INTERVIEW OF THE DAY

Father and coach of the most successful Russian fighter in UFC - Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov spoke about his son's tactics for the fight against the American Tony Ferguson. Interim championship fight UFC The lightweight division will take place on March 4 in Las Vegas.

Khabib Nurmagomedov with his father. Photo Instagram photo

QUOTE OF THE DAY

REPORT OF THE DAY

INTERVIEW NURMAGOMEDOV

In the previous fight, he defeated an American with a painful hold. Michael Johnson, bringing his unbeaten streak to 24 wins.

When I finished the first round, I saw that Dana White was very close to me. He said: "You have a fight, you should be focused on it now," said Nurmagomedov, who was quoted by the official UFC Youtube channel. - To which I replied: "Yes, everything is in order, this fight is almost over." Michael Johnson is a tough guy, but I beat him in a fight. And I said, "When are you going to give me a title shot?"

When I came into this sport, I wanted only one thing - to become the undefeated UFC lightweight champion. This is my dream. Conor McGregor was never my dream, I never thought about him. I don't care about Conor at all! I only think about the championship belt.

When I enter the cage, I think: this is another rival, and I have to finish him off. It doesn't matter who. The UFC gave me this opponent and I'm going to beat him.

​

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Father and coach of the best Russian MMA fighter Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov announced that his son Khabib will end his professional career in 2018.

I have never told anyone about this before, but soon Khabib will really need to complete, - life.ru quotes the words of Nurmagomedov Sr. - I do not want to upset the fans, but each person has his own resource, and it is not limitless. Khabib has one and a half to two years left for fighting.

Now on March 4, you need to win, and win convincingly, so as not to give the judges a hint of a chance to come up with something, Tony Ferguson. After that, fight for the championship belt, ideally with Conor McGregor. Well, in 2018, defend the title two, maximum three times. Khabib is now 28 years old, he should finish at 30. I need my son to benefit our country and other fighters, to help martial arts develop in Russia.

NEWS OF THE DAY

The main charm of the battle - Tony Ferguson consists in the fact that the winner is promised a meeting with himself. This is not just speculation, but the words of UFC President Dana White.

I don’t know at what stage the negotiations between McGregor and Mayweather are, White quotes TMZ. - I expect Conor to fight the winner of the Ferguson-Nurmagomedov fight next. These are the first and second numbers of the rating, they are tough fighters. They hate each other, you can't think of a better fight. McGregor and Nurmagomedov? Khabib is cool, but Conor's strength has been questioned since he joined the UFC.

MOSCOW, March 4 - R-Sport. Russian fighter mixed martial arts Khabib Nurmagomedov, for health reasons, will not be able to fight for the title of interim champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in lightweight with American Tony Ferguson.

Nurmagomedov is undefeated in 24 fights, has been successfully performing in the UFC since 2012 and managed to gain popularity in the world. It is no coincidence that the Russian on Thursday was awarded the World MMA Awards in the nomination "Best International Fighter of the Year". Many fans of this sport expected Nurmagomedov's fight with the reigning UFC lightweight champion Irishman Conor McGregor, and the fight with Ferguson, who also occupies a high position in UFC ranking, was perceived as a kind of passable obstacle that had to be overcome on the way to the famous Irishman. However, the fate of the fight was different.

A few hours before the official weigh-in procedure, the father and coach of the Russian fighter Adbulmanap Nurmagomedov said that Khabib was in the hospital due to severe complications that were the result of weight loss. After the UFC on the official website, which was supposed to take place in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

"Khabib Nurmagomedov was taken to the hospital on Thursday evening due to medical problems related to weight management. He received treatment and was discharged. The scheduled fight between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson was canceled on the recommendation of a doctor," the statement said.

On the eve of the fight, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson fueled the excitement for this fight public speaking in a typical Western manner, connecting MacGregor to his pick.

But Ferguson eventually reacted with understanding to the cancellation of the fight and wished Khabib a speedy recovery. “I hope you feel better Khabib, I pray for your recovery, get better,” wrote the American in his account in Instagram.

The Nurmagomedov team, in turn, apologized to the side of the American. “I sincerely apologize to Tony and his camp. The most important thing at the moment is Khabib’s health. He is now in his room. We are not thinking about what will happen next. I once again want to apologize to Tony, his team and all the fans UFC, we really really wanted to fight this fight," said the manager of the Russian Ali Abdelaziz.

The father of the Russian fighter called the UFC decision to cancel the fight correct.

“You can’t risk your health. Khabib needs a healthy person for the country. We will discuss the future of Khabib’s career later after returning, but after a week. Two years Khabib can still fight. But this weight cut still made itself felt,” Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov told the agency "R-Sport".

There will be no replacement

American fighter Michael Johnson said he was ready to replace Nurmagomedov in a fight with Ferguson, but the latter refused the offer. Johnson had already fought Ferguson in May 2012 and won by unanimous decision, and in his last fight in November 2016 he lost to Nurmagomedov by submission.

"I'm ready to give Tony Ferguson the opportunity to take revenge tomorrow. I'm already in town," Johnson wrote on his Twitter account.

"I was ready and wanted to have this title fight at the last minute. Unfortunately Tony Ferguson turned down my offer. I'll catch you another time," Johnson tweeted a few hours later.

I was ready and willing!! To make that title weight for the last minute. unfortunately

It looks like everything is going to the fact that Khabib Nurmagomedov will finally have a fight against Tony Ferguson. Some kind of evil fate pursues this couple - their fight failed three times. I hope that the fourth attempt will be successful.

Take one

The first fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson was scheduled for December 2015. By that time, the Russian, due to knee injuries, which twice led to the cancellation of the fight with “Cowboy” Cerrone, did not enter the octagon for about a year and a half, and in order to regain the status of the No. 1 contender, he needed to defeat a strong opponent. Ferguson in this regard was the perfect opponent. However, at the end of October, Khabib withdrew from the TUF 22 Finale tournament, citing a broken rib in training.

Ferguson found another opponent and at that tournament he defeated the strong Brazilian Edson Barbosa by submission.

Take two

The second attempt was also unsuccessful. In March, Ferguson hoped to get revenge on Michael Johnson for the only defeat in the UFC, but Johnson was injured and in April Tony got Khabib in a 5-round fight. 11 days before the UFC on FOX 19 tournament, Ferguson took his leave and said that he would not yet be able to step into the octagon due to a lung problem.

Hastily, Nurmagomedov failed to find a fighter from the roster and therefore he was forced to accept a 3-round fight with the organization's newcomer Darrell Horcher. The fight did not last all the allotted time and in the 2nd round "Eagle" scored a technical knockout of a sheet metal factory worker.

Double three

The UFC did not part with the idea of ​​​​bringing a Makhachkala and a Californian into the octagon. On March 4, 2017, in the co-main event of the UFC 209 tournament, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson were supposed to play for the interim lightweight champion belt. Before that, the Russian destroyed Michael Johnson in 2.5 rounds, and the American passed UFC rookie Lando Vannata and former king lightweight Rafael dos Anjos.

Before the weigh-in, Nurmagomedov was hospitalized due to negative consequences Weight Race - Khabib Tormented severe pain in the region of the liver. The fight was canceled for the third time.

Immediately after the incident, it was somehow weakly believed that Nurmagomedov and Ferguson would fight in 2017. It was clear that such health problems did not go away without consequences and Khabib would need for a long time for recovery, and Ferguson during this time, most likely, will find a new opponent to determine the contender for the UFC lightweight title, which is in the hands of Conor McGregor.

In addition, after this, there were doubts that Nurmagomedov would be able to continue performing in lightweight and again put his health at risk. This isn't the first time he's failed to make weight as a UFC lightweight fighter. Yes, and the UFC now could not trust Khabib, so he caused the disruption of the main fight of the UFC 209 tournament. the fight will turn out to be frankly sleeping pills - and so it happened. Are the UFC ready after this to risk the performance of their main gold-bearing chicken McGregor if Nurmagomedov became / becomes a contender for his belt?

Our days

But time passed, and the name of Ferguson's opponent was never called. He was challenged by either Michael Chiesa or Edson Barbosa, but Tony himself wanted to fight Nate Diaz, but he seems only interested in a third fight with McGregor. UFC rookie former WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje challenged Tony and he accepted. But it turned out that such a fight is not included in the plans of the matchmakers, and Gaethje will fight with Eddie Alvarez. However, Ferguson had the opportunity to speak at UFC 209, he was urgently offered a new opponent in the person of Michael Johnson, but "El Cucuy" refused, citing the fact that this fight would not have title status and his fee compared to the fight against Nurmagomedov would be half that.

Khabib understandably wants to get the job done, and he has said on more than one occasion that he wants to fight Ferguson. The American every time in response to this laughed it off and showed that Khabib was not very interested in him, and if he already wants to fight so much, then let him beg him. But in Lately Ferguson's rhetoric has changed. Perhaps realizing that, apart from Khabib, he had no worthy opponents and a victory over him will immediately lead him to a title shot, he "condescended" and is already openly talking about his desire to "kick his ass" to the Dagestan in the fall.

The fact that Ferguson needs Nurmagomedov, and Nurmagomedov Ferguson confirmed Dana White, saying that he is still interested in this fight. At the moment, there is talk of holding such a fight on November 4 in New York at the UFC 217 show, the date suits both athletes, and it cannot but suit the UFC - such a fight, and even with such a backstory, will be the decoration of any PPV evening. Probably the only thing that can prevent the Nurmagomedov-Ferguson fight this time, apart from force majeure, is if McGregor comes out dry on August 26 and is really ready to defend his title in December. In this case, only Ferguson will lose, all other parties will win.