Khabib Nurmagomedov Takes Full Blame For Weight Cut Debacle
Khabib Nurmagomedov Takes Full Blame For Weight Cut Debacle
UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov talks about the bad weight cut that forced him out of UFC 209.
It's been a tough road for Khabib Nurmagomedov since UFC 209.
The undefeated Dagestani sensation was set to have his culminating bout with Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title with the winner going on to a unification bout against Conor McGregor. The table was set to make everything Nurmagomedov wanted come to fruition, but then the worst happened.
The day before the official weigh ins Nurmagomedov was forced to go to the hospital and withdraw from the bout. The effects of a weight cut gone wrong had put his health in serious risk and fighting Ferguson was no longer an option, and put it the perennial contender in a difficult spot moving forward.
Nurmagomedov has been silent since the incident at UFC 209, but recently gave an interview to Russia Today (h/t MMA Mania) where "The Eagle" spoke about the fallout. Two things Nurmagomedov made perfectly clear was he takes full responsibility for the bad weight cut and the fight with Ferguson is the only one he wants.
"You know I don't remember a lot of things, to be honest. Last night [before weigh in] and I know -- I am going to a hospital, I feel bad. I know that a lot of fans are upset with me about this and I agree with this guys. Because this is one of the biggest fights in Russian MMA. for me, I can make history but I am going to the hospital you know?
"But sometimes this happens, sometimes you can die, you know? Everybody can die, everybody can [get] sick. Now I need a couple of months. Like two or three months. After three months, I come for hard training and I want to fight in September."
Nurmagomedov then made it perfectly clear he blames nobody but himself for the debacle.
"I think this is my fault, this is my fault," he said. "I know that [my] body [didn't] listen to me and I think, I know, this is my fault. How can I say that this is the coach's fault or the diet guy's fault? This is 100 percent my fault.
"To be honest, you know when you want to smash somebody so badly, how do you feel about this guy? This is my dream fight -- a fight with Tony Ferguson. I know I pulled out, but he pulled out one time, too. But nobody talked when he pulled out. When I pull out -- everybody talks about this. But it's OK. Inshallah I will come back and we'll see what happens."
The undefeated Dagestani sensation was set to have his culminating bout with Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title with the winner going on to a unification bout against Conor McGregor. The table was set to make everything Nurmagomedov wanted come to fruition, but then the worst happened.
The day before the official weigh ins Nurmagomedov was forced to go to the hospital and withdraw from the bout. The effects of a weight cut gone wrong had put his health in serious risk and fighting Ferguson was no longer an option, and put it the perennial contender in a difficult spot moving forward.
Nurmagomedov has been silent since the incident at UFC 209, but recently gave an interview to Russia Today (h/t MMA Mania) where "The Eagle" spoke about the fallout. Two things Nurmagomedov made perfectly clear was he takes full responsibility for the bad weight cut and the fight with Ferguson is the only one he wants.
"You know I don't remember a lot of things, to be honest. Last night [before weigh in] and I know -- I am going to a hospital, I feel bad. I know that a lot of fans are upset with me about this and I agree with this guys. Because this is one of the biggest fights in Russian MMA. for me, I can make history but I am going to the hospital you know?
"But sometimes this happens, sometimes you can die, you know? Everybody can die, everybody can [get] sick. Now I need a couple of months. Like two or three months. After three months, I come for hard training and I want to fight in September."
Nurmagomedov then made it perfectly clear he blames nobody but himself for the debacle.
"I think this is my fault, this is my fault," he said. "I know that [my] body [didn't] listen to me and I think, I know, this is my fault. How can I say that this is the coach's fault or the diet guy's fault? This is 100 percent my fault.
"To be honest, you know when you want to smash somebody so badly, how do you feel about this guy? This is my dream fight -- a fight with Tony Ferguson. I know I pulled out, but he pulled out one time, too. But nobody talked when he pulled out. When I pull out -- everybody talks about this. But it's OK. Inshallah I will come back and we'll see what happens."