Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje will reportedly unify the lightweight title at UFC 253 on September 19.  Â
Gaethje earned his shot at undisputed champion Khabib when he outclassed and stopped Tony Ferguson to win the interim title at UFC 249 last month.
Conor McGregor had hoped to face the American but was shot down by the UFC before announcing his ‘retirement’.
McGregor announced on social media at the weekend that he was walking away from the sport but it is not the first time he has quit, retiring last year before returning to the ring less than 12 months later.
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Now Combate claim a date has been selected for Khabib vs Gaethje, the fight targeted to take place in just over three months at an undisclosed location.
It’s no surprise that the bout is still some time away with Khabib having a number of issues standing in the way of his fighting career at this moment.
The Russian has just completed Ramadan, a month in which Muslims don’t eat or drink during the hours of daylight and a period which needs significant time to return to full strength from.
The coronavirus crisis also continues to make life tough for fighters, especially those residing outside of the United States.
Most importantly Khabib’s father remains in a critical condition, having fallen seriously ill last month with problems related to Covid-19.
Father and trainer Abdulmanap was placed in a medically-induced coma last month in Moscow after falling ill with pneumonia. The 57-year-old came out of the coma following surgery but was then placed on life support.
There was some good news earlier this week with his manager Ali Abdelaziz saying there were signs of improvement.
‘Khabib is very strong, his family is very strong and his father is very strong,’ Abdelaziz told ESPN.
‘He’s improving. He opened his eyes, responding a little bit — good sign. Allah is in control. We have faith he will be better, but at the end of the day, it’s completely up to his health whether it progresses or not. But he’s progressing, and we’re very happy about this.’
