The arrival of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s little brother, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, has ended before it really even began, as the 28-year-old welterweight has been removed from his bout with Sergio Moraes at UFC Fight Night 125 on Feb. 3 from Belem, Brazil, per a report by Combate.
Nurmagomedov, who was brought in by UFC just days ago, was forced to withdraw from his Octagon debut due to undisclosed reasons. As a result, veteran Tim Means will now step in to fight Moraes.
While the younger Nurmagomedov should get another opportunity to compete in UFC, this sort of sucks for the aspiring welterweight contender. Nurmagomedov was hoping to build on his 14-1 professional record, including a 5-0 clip under the World Series of Fighting banner, in a premier grappling matchup with Moraes. For now, the “Dagestani Gangster” will have to put his UFC aspirations on hold and get through whatever forced him out of UFC Fight Night 125.
Means, 33, will now come in to fight Moraes in Brazil. The 14-year veteran is coming off a split-decision loss to Belal Muhammad back in November. Means hasn’t lost back-to-back fights since 2013 and will look to utilize his rangy striking to ward off Moraes’ submission game.
UFC Fight Night 125 will be headlined by a middleweight scrap between former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and undefeated rising contender Eryk Anders.
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