Arguably the biggest story to come out of last weekend’s UFC 209 event was that of a fight that didn’t even happen.
For the third time, fate struck down a proposed bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson after the Dagestani grappler experienced problems with his weight cut which led to his team seeking treatment in a local hospital without informing the UFC — a move which Dana White said extinguished any possibility of the fight taking place last weekend.
Nurmagomedov missed out on a reported $500,000 payday for his failure to compete.
According to reporter Karim Zidan, Nurmagomedov had 5.5 pounds remaining on his cut when an extreme pain in his liver forced a halt to their weight cut. Zidan also reported that Nurmagomodov cuts an average of 37 pounds ahead of a bout.
While UFC president Dana White commented after the news that he is “unsure” of Nurmagomedov’s future, the fighter has issued a statement on his Instagram page in which he apologised to the UFC, its fans and to Tony Ferguson and indicated that he is once again healthy.
He writes: “Whoever you are or whatever you do, you’ll get only what God prescribed for you. AlhamduliLlah for everything God gifted me for my 28 years, I got much more than I asked. I know that many people was waiting for this fight and I fail them. Want to bring my apologies for all my fans, UFC and my opponent Tony. My health is fine now, thanks God. These tough testing only makes me stronger. Thank everyone for the support. ”
