Khabib Nurmagomedov empathizes with Arman Tsarukyan’s situation.
Nurmagomedov was set to corner UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev against Tsarukyan at UFC 311, but Tsarukyan had to withdraw due to a back injury during his weight cut. Renato Moicano has stepped in to challenge Makhachev instead.
Prior to UFC’s first pay-per-view event of the year, Nurmagomedov shared his thoughts on Tsarukyan’s last-minute withdrawal.
“Honestly, I found out about this at 1 a.m. yesterday before going to bed,” Nurmagomedov revealed. “It’s a situation that can happen to anyone. I experienced something similar in 2017 when I had to undergo surgery and come back stronger to earn my title shot.”
“I just want to wish him the best. He’s young and resilient. He will bounce back from this setback.”
Nurmagomedov will now be cornering back-to-back title fights, starting with Umar Nurmagomedov’s bantamweight championship challenge against Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event. He will then prepare Makhachev for his new opponent with just over a day’s notice.
Despite the change in opponent, Nurmagomedov is not underestimating Moicano.
“The new main event will feature Moicano, who brings a wealth of experience to the octagon with his impressive UFC win streak. It may not be the original matchup, but it promises to be a competitive fight that we will not take lightly.”