Though nothing has been officially announced, it looks like Khabib Nurmagomedov is getting ready to defend his UFC lightweight title.

For weeks now the rumor has been that Nurmagomedov will put his title on the line in a unification bout with interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, but an official announcement still has not come. Nurmagomedov has not competed since submitting Conor McGregor at UFC 229, after which he started a brawl that resulted in a nine-month suspension for himself and a year-long suspension for a pair of his teammates, Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov. In solidarity with his team, Nurmagomedov had vowed not to fight until his they were allowed to fight again. But with both men receiving reduced suspensions last month, the final hurdle to Nurmagomedov’s return seems to have been cleared, and now Nurmagomedov’s stateside coach says they are getting ready to start fight camp.

On Sunday, Javier Mendez posted to Instagram where he revealed that Nurmagomedov’s fight camp for UFC 242 is about to begin.

“Fight is not official yet but I am excited to start camp with [The Eagle] Khabib Nurmagomedov should it become official for Sept. 7th at Abu Dhabi against a very tough challenge in Dustin Poirier. But at the end of that night, it will be ‘And Still’.”

Poirier recently won an interim lightweight title with a unanimous decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 236. Since then, Poirier has been vocal on social media about facing Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi.

Nurmagomedov is currently in Mecca for the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan which ends on Tuesday. After that, it’s safe to say he will begin his fight preparations. Like Poirier, Nurmagomedov has been operating under the assumption they would be fighting each other in September, so it’s unclear what the delay in making the fight official is. But with both men seemingly fully invested, the announcement should be forthcoming soon.

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VIDEO STEW

UFC Stockholm post-fight show.

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UFC 238 Countdown.

Tony’s best UFC fights.

TTTHS.

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LISTEN UP

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Pull No Punches. An interview with Jimmie Rivera.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Farewell.

Respect.

Farewell.

Conor on boxing.

Also,Conor beefing with Marc Goddard.

Big news coming.

The Drake curse is real.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cris Cyborg (20-2, 1 NC) vs. Felicia Spencer (7-0); UFC 240, July 27.

Ulka Sasaki (22-6-2) vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari (25-7-4); Rizin 17, July 28.

Mikuru Asakura (10-1) vs. Yusuke Yachi (20-8); Rizin 17, July 28.

Yuki Motoya (23-6) vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo (18-4-2); Rizin 17, July 28.

Ottoman Azaitar (11-0) vs. Teemu Packalen (8-2); UFC 242, Sept. 7.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

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EXIT POLL

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