Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed he almost cancelled his world title fight against Justin Gaethje due to a bout of mumps which left him with a badly-swollen face.
The UFC lightweight champion eventually submitted Gaethje in the third round of what would prove to be his final outing as he announced his retirement.
It was later revealed that Nurmagomedov's training camp was plagued with injury and illness, including a broken thumb which had to be heavily strapped for the fight.
Now, during a conversation with fellow fighter Magomed Ismailov, Nurmagomedov has revealed the extent of his condition. He fell ill on September 9, a day before flying to Abu Dhabi ahead of the fight which was scheduled for October 24. "I started feeling worse on the
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