UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov knows a thing or two about last-minute opponent changes.
Nurmagomedov, one of the best former lightweight champions in the sport, has become an incredible coach. At UFC 311, he will be in the corner of Islam Makhachev, who will no longer defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan but instead, Renato Moicano.
The news of the shift came Friday morning after official weigh-ins for the event. Tsarukyan was forced to withdraw due to a back injury. In his place, Moicano, who was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush at the event, stepped up for the big opportunity to fight for the lightweight title.
“Honestly, I knew this yesterday (at) 1 a.m., (at) night before I go to sleep,” Nurmagomedov said in a video posted to UFC’s social media account. “Honestly, this can happen with anybody.
“If you guys remember 2017 March, it happened with me too. Then after that, I go hospital, make surgery, come back, and I tell UFC if it was my mistake, give me other best guy. I’m gonna beat this guy and deserve my title shot. It was same thing with me, you know, I just want to wish him all the best.”
It was at UFC 209 where Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face Tony Ferguson for the third time. However, Nurmagomedov was hospitialized due to complications with his weight cut, and never made it to the scale for official weigh-ins.
Nurmagomedov indeed proved himself by defeating Edson Barboza a few months later, and then fought for the title in April 2018. In another short notice replacement, Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face Max Holloway, but due to another issue with a weight cut, he ended up facing and defeating Al Iaquinta to become champ.
Nurmagomedov expects Tsarukyan to rebound from this setback in a similar manner, and also believes Moicano will bring his best to make the most of his opportunity.
“You know, he’s young, he’s tough,” Nurmagomedov said. “He can come back. He have to survive this situation and come back.
“Our new main event, I think Moicano he have very big experience in UFC. How many, like 10, 11 years in UFC? He have four win streak, and he’s on his prime. You know, it’s like, a good fight. Of course, it’s not like Arman and Islam, but it’s still very competitive fight and we not gonna underestimate this guy.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
