Khabib will take part in an open training session in Moscow on April 1

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

For the first time since the weight cutting fiasco that led to the cancelation of his UFC 209 interim title fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov will make a planned public appearance in front of MMA fans in Moscow.

According to Tass.ru, the undefeated fighter will take part in a open workout session in the capital of the Russian Federation. He will do so as part of the Eagles MMA team, a newly founded fight club sponsored by Dagestani oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov.

“The coaching session with the Eagles team members will be held on 1 April in Moscow. It will be attended by Habib Nurmagomedov,” an unnamed source told Tass.ru.

Nurmagomedov was scheduled to meet Tony Ferguson in a highly anticipated interim title fight at UFC 209. However, the 24-0 fighter was taken to hospital several hours ahead of the weigh-ins after complaining about severe pain in his liver. The fight was cancelled shortly thereafter and is unlikely to be booked again before September, if at all.

While Khabib has not addressed the media since the weight incident in Las Vegas, reports suggest the Dagestani native will undergo medical examinations in Germany before resuming training at a gradual pace. Given that the holy month of Ramadan takes place between May 26- June 24, it is unlikely that the pious fighter will return to the Octagon before the summer’s end.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.