Nurmagomedov Suffers Knee Injury, Proposed Fight with Cerrone at UFC 178 Canceled

Khabib Nurmagomedov hurt his knee shortly after agreeing to face Donald Cerrone. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Following Cerrone’s first-round head kick knockout of Jim Miller on Wednesday, the “Cowboy” made it clear that he would fight anyone the UFC wanted, at any time. This aligned perfectly with the wishes of Nurmagomedov, who had creatively used social media to make his intentions known.

UFC officials obliged, getting the proposed scrap set in stone on Friday. According to UFC President Dana White, the fight was only on for about 20 minutes.

“That fight was done,” White told reporters during the UFC Fight Night Dublin scrum. “[UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva sent the email out, and 20 minutes later, (Nurmagomedov) went into the gym and blew his knee out. Twenty minutes. So that fight’s off.”

Shortly thereafter, Nurmagomedov posted a picture of his injured knee on Twitter.

“I hurt my knee; maybe need surgery,” wrote Nurmagomedov, who is 6-0 in the Octagon.

It’s back to the drawing board for both the UFC and Cerrone, who has made it clear he wants to stay active. The Jackson-Wink MMA standout has finished his last four opponents, leaving the first round on only one occasion.