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“Dude Was Still in the Sauna” – Daniel Cormier on Khabib Nurmagomedov Not Making It to UFC 249

Published 04/07/2020, 4:51 AM EDT

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Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson is canceled for the fifth time. Although the ‘Eagle’ will not participate at UFC 249, his counterpart ‘El Cucuy’ will. Was Khabib vs Tony salvable? Khabib’s teammate, Daniel Cormier describes the scenario.

Justin Gaethje Is Terrified Ahead of His Fight With Tony Ferguson at UFC 249

Khabib Nurmagomedov probably had the toughest week of his career. Originally, the Dagestani born fighter was slated to face off against Tony Ferguson in one of the most anticipated bouts in UFC history. However, the Coronavirus pandemic did not let it happen.

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Khabib decided to stay at home in Russia. For this move, he received a ton of backlash from fans around the world. In fact, what many think of as a ‘cowardly move’, might not be cowardly at all.

Despite the circumstances, teammate Daniel Cormier claims that Khabib could have fought at UFC 249.

“He was in range”: Daniel Cormier on Khabib Nurmagomedov making weight

On DC and Helwani, Cormier revealed that Khabib was ready to fight. ‘DC’ went a step further to explain the situation in detail.

Cormier said, “Dude was literally in the Sauna! It was 11 o’clock in the night. He was still doing his work. He told me exactly what he weighed.”

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However, a major problem with UFC 249 is that it does not have a venue. Even today, the venue—if any—remains undisclosed. Khabib had a problem with it. He thought that it was pointless to travel to a place where there is no event. But, the champion reassured his best friend that he was not out of the fight completely.

Furthermore, Cormier said that Khabib was on weight and could have possibly made it to fight night.

“He was in range. He was good for the time away from the fight. Knowing him today as I knew him back then, he was in range.”

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Less than 24 hours ago, Dana White announced Khabib’s exit from the card. The event will go ahead with Justin Gaethje as the replacement for the ‘Eagle.’ Also, the interim lightweight championship will be on the line.

What do you make of Cormier’s comments? If Khabib had to travel, do you think he would have weighed in at 155 lbs?

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Written by:

Shantanu Mayenkar

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