"Why did I withdraw from the fight? I was getting ready, I spent a month at the training camp in Thailand and returned home. And one day I got a slight concussion during sparring. Because of this, the doctors discharged me from training and prescribed a month of rest. Of course, I was upset because of the cancellation of the fight, but took it in stride. On all there's will of God and no one is immune from this.
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I still also want to fight Barcelos, because he is a very strong opponent. He did not say anything particularly rough to me. I think he just did not explain why I withdrew from our fight. Therefore, there was some misunderstanding.
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I want to return to the Octagon in September, at a tournament in Abu Dhabi. It will be perfect. I can finally recover and get fit after Ramadan."
Nurmagomedov now performs in the bantamweight division, where Henry Cejudo is the champion.