Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Father Denied U.S. Visa For UFC 209

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father will not be in attendance to root on his son at UFC 209.

According to a report from Russian news outlet Life.ru, ‘The Eagle’s’ father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, has been denied a visa into the United States of America to attend his son’s UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) lightweight title match-up against Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov has made plenty of trips over to the U.S. before, making his current situation a bit of a head scratcher.

Despite not being able to watch his son’s title bout live in Las Vegas, Nurmagomedov stated he will still be watching from the mountains on his phone (quotes via Bloody Elbow):

“The Embassy of course knows everything but they have no right to tell us about the real reasons for the denial,” Abdulmanap explained. “Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to fly back to the United States.”

“In any case, I would not miss [the fight]!” Abdulmanap added. “If needed, I would watch on my phone high in the mountains.”

‘The Eagle’ is undefeated in his dominant mixed martial arts (MMA) career with a record of 24-0. He will co-main event UFC 209 against Tony Ferguson, who rides an impressive nine-fight win streak at 155 pounds, for the interim lightweight title.

The winner of the bout is expected to welcome UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor back to the Octagon at the conclusion of his hiatus in order to unify the two titles. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will throw down live this Saturday (March 4, 2017).