Khabib Nurmagomedov’s interim Lightweight Championship fight against Tony Ferguson scheduled for Saturday night’s UFC 209 pay-per-view has been canceled.
Nurmagomedov was hospitalized early Friday morning after falling ill due to weight cutting. According to UFC, the fight has been called off due to “doctor’s recommendation.”
@TeamKhabib I Hope U Feel Better Khabib, I Pray For Your Recovery, I Mean It, Get Better #Road2Gold #TonyFergusonMMA #UFC209 @ufc @danawhite
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) March 3, 2017
Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz issued a statement to MMA Fighting on Friday explaining the situation:
“I feel bad for Tony and his camp, I really do.
“The most important thing right now is Khabib’s health. He’s currently resting in his room. We’re not thinking about what’s next at this time.
“I want to sincerely apologize to Tony, his team, the UFC and the fans. We were all looking forward to this fight very much.”
This is the third time that a signed fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson has been called off.
Weight cutting is the biggest problem in MMA. We need a solution where we transition towards fighters competing at their actual weight.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) March 3, 2017
To severely dehydrated yourself 24 hours before a cage fight is insane and has massive health and performance consequences.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) March 3, 2017
