Khabib Nurmagomedov's next defence of his UFC Lightweight title is set to take place in 'March or April' in 2020 according to one of the Dagestani fighter's managers.
In his second and most recent defence at UFC 242,Khabib made easy work of interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi to unify the division and move to 28-0 in UFC.
'The Eagle', who normally only fights once or twice a year, is now poised for a UFC return in the early months of 2020.
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"Khabib's next fight is being planned for March-April," Rizvan Magomedov told Russian news agency TASS.
The 31-year old is desperate to fight in his home country and is confident he will do so in his next appearance inside the Octagon.
"Negotiations are continuing with the UFC. I really want to fight in Russia," the 30-year-old told Channel 1.
"In St. Petersburg there's a closed arena [Gazprom Arena]. In Moscow, Luzhniki Stadium is open... I was there at the [football] World Cup final when it rained, if that kind of rain happened it would ruin an [MMA] event.
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"In St. Petersburg the stadium seats 75,000 people, I could fight there. In a small arena it wouldn't work. I really want to fight here, talks are continuing, I'm about 80 percent sure my next fight will be in Russia."
Khabib's father, Abdulmanap,claims his son will only have a further two fights to get to 30-0 before walking away from the Octagon - with his goal being to have his final fight in Moscow.
He isn't the only UFC fighter who wants a scrap in Moscow, however, as Khabib's long-time foe McGregor is already demanding a rematch in the Russian capital.
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The Notorious, who has been absent since he was humbled by Khabib in Las Vegas, will likely need a couple of fights beforehand and so the most likely next challenger to Khabib is Tony Ferguson, currently on a 12-fight winning streak.
Despite being matched up on a number of occasions the two have never traded blows because of injuries.
Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor Mcgregor, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, MMA
