Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals timeline for return after he ‘almost died’ during UFC 209 weight cut
A lightweight interim title bout at UFC 209 was supposed to be the biggest night in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s young career. But the top contender never made it to the Octagon and instead spent the day leading up to the event recovering from a near-deadly weight cut.
Nurmagomedov was slated to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 209. However, “The Eagle” fell ill during his attempt to get down to 155-pounds. And according to Nurmagomedov, even though he feels bad during most of his weight cuts, he immediately knew something was different this time around.
“In the evening, I feel badly,” Nurmagomedov told The MMA Hour. “I feel different. I never feel like this. One day before weigh-in, of course I don’t feel good all the time, but I think this is like something different. And when I go home the night before weigh-ins, I feel crazy. I’m cutting weight with my team, and I don’t remember how I cut weight. I don’t remember a lot of things, something going wrong.”
Nurmagomedov’s team ended up rushing him to the hospital and apparently it was just in the nick of time, since, according to “The Eagle,” he could have died if he kept cutting weight and fighting the next day was definitely out of the question.
“The doctor say, ‘you cannot fight. You almost die. How you fight? How you can fight if you almost die? No way. We say no fight, 100 percent. No make weight. No fight. No nothing. You need to stay in the hospital for seven hours, we have to make sure your body is good.’ But I feel I almost died,” Nurmagomedov said.
The undefeated lightweight eventually took the doctor’s advice and withdrew from UFC 209, which he says led to “the worst month of his life.”
That doesn’t mean Nurmagomedov is going to quit anytime soon, though. In fact, he’s already started rehabbing from the unfortunate incident and has an ideal timeframe for a return.
“I’m just coming from Germany. I need like three or five months to make my body the same, three or five months of rehab. And obviously I’m going to Germany, I’m going to fix everything. This problem, this is not about cutting weight. This is about my health, and I have to [fix] my health in three or five months, and I’m going to come back. I think I can fight end of September," Nurmagomedov said.
For that bout in September, which is sure to be highly anticipated, Nurmagomedov would like to be matched up with Ferguson in what he called his, “No. 1 dream fight.” But he can understand how “El Cucuy” would be skeptical given the fact that they’ve been matched up three times and haven’t fought once.
So Nurmagomedov is content handling the things he can control, like getting his body back to 100 percent and eventually continuing his career.
“Now I feel like different motivation, everything,” Nurmagomedov said. “I’m gonna check my weight, check my body, I’m gonna fix my body, everything. I’m gonna come back. I know for sure I’m gonna come back.”
