Khabib Nurmagomedov's All Pull-Outs In His UFC Career

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Probably one of the best MMA fighters in the world and a declared lightweight GOAT, Khabib Nurmagomedov gave many memorable performances during his active UFC career and became one of the greatest fighters to ever step in the Octagon. Despite achieving so much in his MMA career, “The Eagle” hasn’t been a “praised by all” guy, as the former lightweight champion was tagged as a “pull-out merchant” by some. There were five instances when Khabib pulled out of a scheduled fight for physical or other reasons. Three of the pull-outs were against former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.

UFC 178: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Donald Cerrone

It was at UFC 178 when Khabib Nurmagomedov, after signing the PPV with the UFC for a fight against “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone, blew up his knee during training minutes after signing the contract. Eddie Alvarez stepped in as a substitute, and Donald Cerrone defeated Alvarez to win the fight via unanimous decision.

UFC 187: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Donald Cerrone

After the unfortunate pullout at UFC 178, the UFC booked the two again at UFC 187, but the fight didn’t happen this time, either. Surprisingly, the reason for the pullout and the fighter were the same. Khabib injured his knee once again, and John Makdessi replaced him. He lost the bout against the Cowboy as Donald Cerrone knocked Makdessi cold in round 2 of the fight.

The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale – Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson

It was the finale of TUF season 22, where Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson were set to face off. However, that fight didn’t happen, as Khabib pulled out due to a rib injury.

UFC 209: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson

Before UFC 209, Khabib was set to fight Tony Ferguson, but that time, Tony Ferguson injured his leg and pulled out. When UFC tried to book a fight between them again for UFC 209, Khabib’s weight cut issues landed him in the hospital.

UFC 249: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson

After having four failed match-ups, UFC decided to book the fight one more time. It was before the coronavirus pandemic started. The two had a lot of back and forth in the press conference, and fans were excited to see a fight between the two finally, but it didn’t happen this time as well, as Khabib got stuck in Russia due to the travel advisory and restrictions put on International travel during the Pandemic. Tony fought Justin Gaethje and lost his soul in the fight, and post-fight, he lost 8 consecutive bouts.