Khabib Turns Down NSAC’s Social Campaign To Shorten Suspension
Earlier this week, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was handed a nine-month suspension and a $500,000 fine for his role in the UFC 229 post-fight brawl.
“The Eagle” will be out until July 6, 2019 at the earliest. He could have returned as early as April 6 if he agreed to the NSAC’s request for an anti-bullying public service announcement. However, the undefeated pound-for-pound great isn’t agreeing to the deal. His teammates Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov received one-year suspensions for their roles in the brawl.
Khabib says he wants to stay out of action for that long and return in November as a result. He’s targeting Madison Square Garden as the location, and his manager claims he’s done with Vegas. Some recent words from the champion may support that statement. He told SportBox.ru (via MMA Mania) that Nevada offered him a social campaign. But he thinks they should really focus on themselves:
“[The NSAC] said to take part in a social campaign… the state of Nevada is a place where they allow drugs, prostitution
“Let them work on themselves [and their own behavior]. There were fighters who didn’t fight for two years and didn’t have their belts taken for a year and a half. I’m ready to fight, they were the ones who banned me.”
Division Moving On
Khabib is most likely referring to his recent opponent Conor McGregor, who was out for two years but only recently stripped of the title. The NSAC does operate out of the home of ‘Sin City,’ so the devoutly religious Khabib may have some issues with them calling him out.
Either way, he apparently won’t participate in the NSAC’s offered PSA. He believes the UFC lightweight division will move on for the time being (as it should) because of it:
“I think that they will create an interim title. It could be between [Dustin] Poirier and [Tony] Ferguson. Whoever wins will become the interim champion, and then at the end of the year we will fight for the real belt.
“I think that could happen. [But] at the moment I don’t know for sure.”
