Khabib Nurmagomedov’s next move is up in the air.
The No. 1 ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight was supposed to battle Tony Ferguson last night (March 4) for the interim 155-pound gold. Those plans were dashed when “The Eagle” fell ill due to weight cutting issues. He and “El Cucuy” were pulled from the UFC 209 card.
UFC President Dana White wasn’t shy when discussing how Nurmagomedov’s team handled the situation. He feels they could’ve “saved” the fight had they done things the “right way.”
When speaking to the media (via BJPenn.com), White said he’s unsure of Nurmagomedov’s future at lightweight:
“To be honest with you, Khabib fought (at UFC 205) in New York in November then here in this fight. Two back-to-back weight cuts like that. I don’t know if he can make the weight or if he needs to get a better plan (or) dietician. Something. I don’t know (what he should do). He got within six pounds and was in really rough shape. He’s going to have to take some time to recover from this weight cut, and then I don’t know what to do. He was having pains either where your kidneys are or your liver or something – I don’t know the exact specifics, but he was having pains. He looked terrible. I don’t think there was any real damage done to it. When I say damage, I mean long-term. It’s going to take him a little while to recover from this weight cut.”
