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Khabib's teammates have sanctions reduced, clearing way for Poirier bout

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC / UFC / Getty

A bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 just got one step closer to fruition.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission approved a 35-day reduction in the current suspensions to Nurmagomedov's teammates Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov, according to MMAJunkie's John Morgan.

Both Khabib and Poirier can compete at UFC 242, which takes place Sept. 7 in Abu Dhabi, but Nurmagomedov vowed to sit on the sidelines until his teammates were cleared.

Nurmagomedov successfully defended his lightweight title in October 2018 when he submitted Conor McGregor in the main event at UFC 229. Following the victory, The "Eagle" jumped into the crowd and attacked McGregor's teammate Dillon Danis. Abubakar and Tukhugov were also involved, prompting the NSAC to hand out one-year suspensions. The pair now must complete 10 hours of community service aimed at benefitting youth. Commission head Bob Bennett expects they will complete the requirement by June.

This paves the way for Nurmagomedov to attempt to unify his lightweight title against interim champion Poirier in the main event at UFC 242. The Russian implied his presence on the card when reacting to the news on Instagram, saying: "We are ready and we are coming."

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