Khabib Nurmagomedov Reportedly Out Of UFC 187

UFC 187 was a card that was supposed to be too good to be true, and well, it was.

News just broke that top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov is allegedly out of his main card bout against rival Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in what was largely considered a title eliminator for the next shot at Rafael dos Anjos’ title,

But sources close to the situation told MMA Junkie that an injury has forced “The Eagle” to the sidelines, and even more sources speculated that it was again his knee. Nurmagomedov already withdrew from his first match-up with Cerrone at last September’s UFC 178 after sustaining the original knee injury mere moments after the fight was booked.

The news has not been made official by the UFC as of yet. Supposedly the search for a new opponent for Cerrone goes on. Former champion Anthony Pettis has a fight scheduled against Myles jury at July 25’s UFC on FOX 16, but if he can return quickly from his eye injury, he could be a potential candidate for a rematch with ‘Cowboy.’

And although he’s slated for a blockbuster bout with Michael Johnson at July’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 21 Finale, Benson Henderson is of course always a short-notice candidate. “Smooth” suffered a controversial and stinging decision loss to Cerrone at January’s UFC Fight Night 59 after handing him two losses in their earlier days in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

Just last night, the once-legendary card lost former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones when he was stripped for his arrest on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury.

With seven straight wins, Cerrone deserves his shot to fight for a chance at the belt. Who will it be against?

Photo Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports