UFC boss Dana White unsure of Khabib Nurmagomedov's future following UFC 209 scratch

LAS VEGAS – UFC President Dana White said Khabib Nurmagomedov needs a career change after a failed weight cut forced him out a scheduled interim UFC lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson at Saturday’s UFC 209 event.

Nurmagomedov (24-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was forced to withdraw from UFC 209’s planned co-headliner with Ferguson (22-3 MMA, 12-1 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he fell ill during the final stages of his cut down to 155 pounds.

“The Eagle,” who was officially ruled out of the event on the event of UFC 209, has a history of pulling out of fights, and though the latest issue was the first related to a weight cut, White said he was unsure what the future holds for the undefeated Dagestani fighter.

“To be honest with you, Khabib fought (at UFC 205) in New York in November then here in this fight,” White said. “Two back-to-back weight cuts like that. I don’t know if he can make the weight or if he needs to get a better plan (or) dietician. Something.

“I don’t know (what he should do). He got within six pounds and was in really rough shape. He’s going to have to take some time to recover from this weight cut, and then I don’t know what to do.”

White said on Friday that Nurmagomedov and his team improperly handled the situation by taking the fighter to a local Las Vegas hospital without first consulting the UFC. He said the fight could have possibly been salvaged, and if not, the promotion could have offered Nurmagomedov superior medical care.

“So what would have been different is if he had called Dr. (Jeff) Davidson or Briana (Mattison), the two who handle all the medical stuff for the UFC, they would have brought him right to the hospital,” White said. “Apparently he was treated horrible at (Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas). Shocker here in Vegas; that’s no shock. He should have gone to Valley Hospital (Medical Center). He should have been with (Dr. Davidson, who) would have taken him right in. They would have checked him right in and seen where he was.

“When you walk into just some random hospital here in Las Vegas and they see the guy and they tell him the weight cut, they just start filling him with fluids. That’s immediately what they do. They bring you in, they stick in the IV, and they start. (Dr. Davidson) would have checked his vitals, seen where he was. I’m not saying that the fight could have been saved, but maybe it could have. We’ve been in these positions before. This isn’t our first rodeo.”

The Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson scratch marked the third time in 15 months a scheduled matchup between the pair has fallen apart. The first was the result of a Nurmagomedov injury, and the second was due to a Ferguson injury.

Nurmagomedov hasn’t addressed the UFC 209 situation. Regardless, White said the fighter needs to make changes. The 28-year-old first needs his body to recover from the failed weight cut. Additionally, Nurmagomedov observes Ramadan, which will keep him out of action from May 26 to June 25.

Unless he’s rescheduled quickly, Nurmagomedov may not return until late summer, but White said it’s important for the contender, who’s No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, to return to full health before another fight is booked.

“He was having pains either where your kidneys are or your liver or something – I don’t know the exact specifics, but he was having pains,” White said. “He looked terrible. I don’t think there was any real damage done to it. When I say damage, I mean longterm. It’s going to take him a little while to recover from this weight cut.”

For complete coverage of UFC 209, check out the UFC Events section of the site.