Khabib Nurmagomedov injured, out of TUF 22 bout with Tony Ferguson

It’s already been 18 months since Nurmagomedov last fought, defeating Rafael dos Anjos – and that gives an indication of just how much can happen while a fighter sits on the sidelines as Dos Anjos has since become the lightweight champion after winning four bouts in a row.

Nurmagomedov stands at 22-0 in his professional MMA career, but the injury bug has been his toughest opponent. Unfortunately, another knee injury struck the 27-year-old and he was forced out of the contest.

Nurmagomedov has been the most dominant fighter in the division, but he has not stayed healthy long enough to prove that he is the best fighter in the division, which is unfortunate. He suffered a knee injury that took him out of a planned fight with Donald Cerrone at UFC 178 last September, then another that took him out of that same matchup for UFC 187 in May.

With Nurmagomedov (22-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) out of the TUF 22 Finale against Tony Ferguson (19-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) with a rib injury, Ferguson now will face Edson Barboza (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC).

For fans, it has been frustrating, but for Nurmagomedov, it has to be demoralizing.

“I want to apologise to my fans”, Nurmagomedov said. “So I’m going to put something new, something scary”, Ferguson told MMAjunkie radio prior to the Barboza fight annoucement. I really wanted to come back. Thanks to my fans and sponsors. MMA Fighting.com reported that Barboza was being considered as a replacement, and now the UFC has made it official.