Khabib Nurmagomedov remains on UFC on FOX 19 card with short-notice opponent

UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov will remain on next week’s UFC on FOX 19 lineup after all.

After recently losing opponent Tony Ferguson (20-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) due to a lung injury, Nurmagomedov (22-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was left without a main-event opponent – though others, including Donald Cerrone (29-7 MMA, 16-4 UFC), were apparently interested.

Although he’ll no longer headline the card, Nurmagomedov, who’s No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, will remain on the main card and fight late replacement and promotional newcomer Darrell Horcher (12-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a 160-pound catchweight fight, UFC officials today told FOXSports.com.

UFC on FOX 19 takes place April 16 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The card airs on FOX after early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Undefeated contender Nurmagomedov returns from a two-year layoff due to injuries and looks to pick up where he left off, with a 22-0 start to his career that includes 14 stoppages. In his most recent bout, the 27-year-old scored a dominant unanimous-decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos, who went on to win the UFC lightweight title.

Horcher, meanwhile, is a six-year pro and former Bellator fighter who’s recently competed for CFFC. The 28-year-old is riding a five-fight winning streak with his back two victories, over Jordan Stiner and Stephen Regman, coming via knockout.

The latest UFC on FOX 19 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)

• Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira
• Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida
• Darrell Horcher vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
• Rose Namajunas vs. Tecia Torres

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX, 6 p.m. ET)

• Michael Chiesa vs. Beneil Dariush
• Hacran Dias vs. Cub Swanson
• John Dodson vs. Manny Gamburyan
• Court McGee vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 4 p.m. ET)

• Bethe Correia vs. Raquel Pennington
• Randy Brown vs. Michael Graves
• Cezar Ferreira vs. Caio Magalhaes
• Drew Dober vs. Islam Makhachev
• Omari Akhmedov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

For more on UFC on FOX 19, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.