Umar Nurmagomedov offered some insight into the injury that forced him out of his main event showdown with Cory Sandhagen.
Riding an incredible 16-0 undefeated streak, Nurmagomedov is on the cusp of title contention in the bantamweight division. The UFC Nashville headliner could have thrust Nurmagomedov into the division’s top five, but after suffering an unfortunate injury whilst sparring, he is now out of the bout. As the promotion scrambles to find a suitable replacement, Nurmagomedov offers an inside look at what caused the injury that took him out of next month’s main event.
In the footage initially shared on Nurmagomedov’s Instagram, the 27-year-old contender appears to throw a right jab before staggering back with his shoulder in a clearly compromised position.
The UFC Could Have a Tough Time Replacing Umar Nurmagomedov
Despite the bantamweight division being one of the most talent-loaded weight classes in the UFC, the promotion will likely struggle to find a replacement with many of the top dogs at 135 already being booked. No. 13 ranked contender Adrian Yanez offered up his services while others have suggested that Deiveson Figueiredo could step in and take the fight on three weeks’ notice, though the ex-flyweight champ is already booked for a bantamweight debut against former 135-pound king Dominick Cruz in September.
It was a rough couple of days for Dagestani fighters and the promotion’s return to Nashville as Said Nurmagomedov also withdrew from his previously scheduled bout with Kyler Phillips at the event.
Fighting out of Chelyabinsk, Russia, Umar Numragomedov stormed into the UFC, scoring back-to-back rear-naked choke submissions against Sergey Morozov and Brian Kelleher. He followed that up with a unanimous decision win over Nate Maness and a first-round knockout of Raoni Barcelos in his last appearance.
It is unclear how long he expects to be sidelined with his shoulder injury.