When Justin Gaethje finished off Tony Ferguson in a fifth-round TKO victory on Saturday at UFC 249, he became the UFC interim lightweight titleholder. He also secured a date with Khabib Nurmagomedov for the unified lightweight title.
UFC president Dana White has big plans for the fight, telling ESPN he expects the bout to take place on Fight Island.
“I expect (Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje) to happen this summer,” White told ESPN 100 in Chicago. “I don’t know if it will be the first one, but it will be on Fight Island, unless miraculously the world comes back together faster than I think it’s gonna.”
White said he hopes the construction of Fight Island — an offshore location where White is building a facility for UFC fighters to train and fight amid the coronavirus pandemic — will be finished in mid-June. Fights would start shortly after. The location of the island has yet to be disclosed.
Nurmagomedov was originally scheduled to fight Ferguson at UFC 249 in April, but Nurmagomedov returned to his native Russia due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was unable to leave. Gaethje fought in his place and defeated Ferguson on Saturday for the interim title.
Nurmagomedov is a practicing Muslim and currently observing the holy month of Ramadan, which ends May 23. Nurmagomedov has said previously he would need at least 45 days to fully recover from the fasting of Ramadan. He would begin training after that.
That timeline would put Nurmagomedov at full recovery around the beginning of July. He has said he does light training during Ramadan, but not the type to be able to defend his title. Last week, Nurmagomedov posted an Instagram comment saying he'd be ready to go in July.