Report | Nurmagomedov forced out of UFC 254 clash with Morozov

UFC bantamweight prospect Umar Nurmagomedov, the cousin of Khabib, has been forced out of his UFC 254 contest against Sergei Morozov.

Nurmagomedov is a highly-touted prospect who was set to make his Octagon debut next weekend at UFC 254 fighting on the undercard of his cousin Khabib’s pay-per-view. Unfortunately, Nurmagomedov fell ill and is out of the fight. Khabib himself took to social media to post on Instagram updates on his cousin, confirming that he had staph infection. It was so bad that the younger Nurmagomedov had to be hospitalized in Dubai.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGe8iu9sWmC/

All Salam Aleikum. For the last few days, Umar has been in a hotel with a high fever, which was caused by a staphylococcal infection. But despite this, he and our entire team were determined that he would perform on October 24th. This morning, before our flight to Abu Dhabi, he got worse and was hospitalized in Dubai. – Get well soon Brother, so it was destined @umar_nurmagomedov

Nurmagomedov (12-0) is only 24 years old and is undefeated so far in his MMA career. The Russian made his pro debut in 2016 and has so far he has defeated several veterans of the Russian regional scene as well as having some experience fighting for PFL. He was expected to win against Morozov, who was also making his UFC debut. The sportsbooks currently have Nurmagomedov as a -600 betting favorite, but that betting line will be taken down soon since the fight is being scratched due to Nurmagomedov’s illness.

Based on Nurmagomedov being hospitalized, it seems unlikely he will be able to make a quick return to the Octagon on another Fight Island card, so it will be in 2021 that we will most likely see him fight next. As for Morozov, hopefully, the UFC is able to find him an opponent so he can stay on the card and get paid.

What do you think the potential of Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC is?