Khabib says he won’t break quarantine, UFC 249 fight is off
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov says he won’t leave quarantine in Russia to fight, dealing another blow to UFC President Dana White’s determination to hold UFC 249 on April 18 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Nurmagomedov made his announcement Wednesday on Instagram, telling the mixed martial arts world to “take care of yourself and put yourself in my shoes.”
Nurmagomedov (28-0) was scheduled to fight top contender Tony Ferguson (25-3) in the main event of UFC 249 in two weeks. The show was initially slated for Barclays Center in Brooklyn before the pandemic threw the UFC’s schedule into upheaval.
Nurmagomedov is in his native Dagestan, and his Instagram post made it clear he isn’t leaving for the fight even if White is able to find a location to stage it. Nurmagomedov
left California to return home when the UFC had tentative plans to stage UFC 249 in the United Arab Emirates, but the champion first revealed Monday that he probably wouldn’t be allowed to leave the country again due to travel restrictions.
“I understand everything and I’m definitely more upset than you to cancel the fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “Probably like all others, I had many plans after the fight, but I can’t control it all.”
White and the UFC didn’t immediately comment on Nurmagomedov’s decision, which had been expected for several days since the MMA world learned Nurmagomedov was in Dagestan instead of California, where he typically finishes his training for his fights.
Former Syracuse coach Maloney dies
SYRACUSE, N.Y. » Former Syracuse football coach Frank Maloney, who succeeded the winningest coach in school history when the program was in decline, has died. He was 79.
Maloney died Monday at his home in Chicago, his family told the university. The cause was metastic brain cancer, according to Syracuse.com.
Maloney played center and guard at Michigan from 1959-61 and served as an assistant coach, mostly under Bo Schembechler, at his alma mater from 1968-73. He was hired at Syracuse to succeed Hall of Famer Ben Schwartzwalder.
Maloney’s teams went 32-46 from 197480 at a school with a deteriorating stadium and financial troubles.
UEFA postpones more soccer
UEFA postponed more matches and deadlines without giving any firm indication on when European soccer might be able to resume, as it continues to grapple with the challenge of completing competitions that have been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The governing body couldn’t even put a definitive timeframe on when this season’s Champions League and Europa League must be resumed, having been suspended midway through the round-of-16 stage. However, it is contemplating the idea of having the domestic season run through the summer into August — if games can resume on time amid nationwide lockdowns because of the virus.
Ex-French soccer club boss dies
DAKAR, SENEGAL » Pape Diouf, a former president of French soccer club Marseille, died Tuesday in Senegal after contracting the coronavirus. It was the West African country’s first COVID-19-related death, according to the health ministry. He was 68.
Diouf, who was president of Marseille from 2005-09, had been treated since Saturday in intensive care in Dakar.