Khabib Nurmagomedov issues statement, apology on UFC 209 withdrawal: ‘I fail them’

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov has some explaining to do after withdrawing from the UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which took place inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 4, 2017.

More on how that transpired here.

While “The Eagle” didn’t fly into specifics, he did apologize for letting down the promotion, the mixed martial arts (MMA) fans, and of course, fellow co-headliner Tony Ferguson, who got paid for doing nothing in “Sin City.”

From his official Instagram account:

Whoever you are or whatever you do, you'll get only what God prescribed for you. AlhamduliLlah for everything God gifted me for my 28 years, I got much more than I asked. I know that many people was waiting for this fight and I fail them. Want to bring my apologies for all my fans, UFC and my opponent Tony. My health is fine now, thanks God. These tough testing only makes me stronger. Thank everyone for the support.

The bonus-winning lightweight bout featuring David Teymur vs. Lando Vannata took over as UFC 209 co-main event.

After Nurmagomedov failed to make the UFC 209 weigh ins, the promotion tried to convince “El Cucuy” to accept a last-minute replacement fight against former nemesis Michael Johnson; however, that bout failed to materialize because of this.

What’s next for either Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, at this point, remains to be seen.

Stay tuned.