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Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, the two fighters who are set battle for UFC lightweight gold in a title unification bout are both managed by Ali Abdelaziz, and he believes that the pair will fight by the end of the year.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is the undisputed UFC lightweight champion and has for long been expected to defend his title, first against former contender Tony Ferguson and now against the interim champ Gaethje.
However, the possibility of Khabib Nurmagomedov's upcoming fight against Gaethje coming to fruition was in serious doubt when Nurmagomedov’s father and trainer Abdulmanap died earlier this summer.
According to Abdelaziz, however, his client Khabib Nurmagomedov will most definitely defend his title against Gaethje in 2020. {h/t TMZ Sports (via MMA Fighting)}
“Khabib is not retiring. Khabib has some goals, he has some things he wants to accomplish. You will see him before the end of the year. Now him and Dana (are) talking and me talking to the matchmakers and we’ll try to set a date. We see what Khabib does to all his opponents. We see what Justin Gaethje did his last four opponents. He dismantled Tony Ferguson. He made him look like an absolute amateur and that’s the best two guys in the world. They’re gonna fight.”
Abdelaziz referred to Khabib Nurmagomedov as “a different breed” and revealed that his client is bred like a fighter and that shines through in his willingness to fight so soon after his father’s death.
“Khabib is a different breed too. Of course, he’s heartbroken. It’s his father, it’s his mentor, it’s his best friend, but at the end of the day, Khabib’s father had a legacy he wanted Khabib to accomplish. Khabib is a living legend and that’s where legend comes from, legends come from adversity, from death, from a lot of things. He’s gonna fight Justin Gaethje and they’re gonna put on a great display of martial arts, and we are the winners. The fans are the winners, the promotion are the winners. It’s gonna be a blockbuster fight card, for sure.”
