Umar Nurmagomedov | @khabib_nurmagomedov, Instagram
The debut of the next Nurmagomedov will have to wait.
Umar Nurmagomedov—the cousin and teammate of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov—has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bantamweight bout with Sergey Morozov at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi this coming Saturday.
The news was first reported by TASS, and later confirmed by Khabib who wrote on Instagram that Umar is suffering from a fever brought on by a staph infection.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Oct 18, 2020 at 4:40am PDT
This is the third time that Umar Nurmagomedov has seen his octagon debut delayed. Nurmagomedov, 24, was previously scheduled to fight Hunter Azure at UFC 249 in April (event canceled due to coronavirus outbreak), Nathaniel Wood at Fight Island show in July (Nurmagomedov withdrew following the death of Khabib’s father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov), and then Morozov. He is 12-0 as a pro and has twice competed in showcase bouts for the Professional Fighters League.
It is not yet known if officials are seeking a replacement opponent for Morozov (16-3).
UFC 254 is scheduled to be headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Justin Gaethje.