Tony Ferguson claims Khabib Nurmagomedov is "hiding in Russia"; Asks him to either defend or vacate UFC Lightweight title

UFC 249 was the most eagerly anticipated event of this year and fight fans around the globe wanted nothing more than getting to witness Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov fight it out for the UFC Lightweight title.

Unfortunately, this is one fight that is probably never meant to be. Having been booked four times in the past and called off every single time, we thought fifth time would be the charm but thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has brought the entire world to its knees, that isn't the case.

Now, it takes two to tango and with Nurmagomedov earlier announcing that he is stranded in Russia due to a travel ban, Ferguson is now left without his dance partner inside the Octagon. Reports came in stating that the UFC has approached top contender Justin Gaethje to step up and replace the undefeated Russian on short notice but that isn't confirmed yet.

It seems like hours before Nurmagomedov announced that he will not be able to participate in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18, his counterpart Ferguson got a hint. Ferguson took to Twitter to tell the reigning champ that he is intentionally hiding in Russia to avoid losing his title and warned him not to use it as an excuse because he'll still somehow get to Khabib and beat him up. Ferguson also gave Nurmagomedov the ultimatum of either defending his lightweight title or vacating it.

April 18 Is Getting Close @TeamKhabib & You’re Hiding In Russia. Travel Bans Will Not Prevent Me From Whoopin’ That Ass. Don’t Use It As An Excuse To Back Out. You Have Been Sent Many Locations, Send Us 1. Still My Bitch #DefendorVacate MF ⚾️ -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 #ufc249 @ufc @danawhite pic.twitter.com/TVQH4mnG2e

— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) March 30, 2020