UFC: Reigning Lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov to face Justin Gaethje in October

Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has agreed to face interim champ Justin Gaethje on 24th October. UFC President Dana White announced Nurmagomedov's return to mixed martial arts on Tuesday. Nurmagomedov (28-0) holds the longest active unbeaten streak in MMA, and he became the UFC's lightweight champion in April 2018 by defeating Al Iaquinta for the vacant belt. He has defended his title just twice, but he defeated interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier by submission last September in his most recent fight. Nurmagomedov became one of MMA’s biggest stars at UFC 229 in October 2018 with his fourth-round stoppage of Conor McGregor and his subsequent leap over the cage and into the stands to fight members of McGregor’s entourage for their perceived disrespect. Although the UFC’s pay-per-view sales figures are private, UFC 229 is widely thought to be the most-bought event in MMA history. Nurmagomedov has been in mourning this month after the death of his father, Abdulmanap. Nurmagomedov’s camp says his father, a prominent MMA figure and wrestler in Dagestan, died from complications of COVID-19 and heart surgery in early July. Gaethje (22-2) presents a stark challenge in style for Nurmagomedov, a world-class wrestler and grappler who has been extraordinarily successful on the ground.