On Wednesday evening, UFC 187 was dealt another hefty blow when it was announced that Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced out of his feature fight against Donald Cerrone with an injury. Now it appears the Dagestani standout's injury was a meniscus tear, according to his father.
The renowned coach, who established arguably the elite Dagestani roster of fighters within his homeland, informed prosport-online.ru that Khabib will likely require surgery and will be sidelined for a total of five months.
"Khabib injured his meniscus. The diagnosis is confirmed. They will operate in the next few days in Los Angeles. He can fight again only in five months; two months for recovery after surgery and another three for a training camp."
Abdulmanap also confirmed that Khabib injured his right knee, which is the same one that troubled him last year.
"In July, he had torn anterior ligament and medial meniscus. Now the meniscus is damaged. I do not know whether internal or external."
The long-time coach expressed his disappointment with the situation, as he believes Khabib was perfectly prepared for his encounter later this month.
"He weighs 80 kg right now. He was perfectly prepared. He always worked with his doctor to take the injection for his knee. Two 15-minute sparring sessions with rotating sparing partners - Khabib was working at a very good pace."
Khabib Out For Five Months With Meniscus Tear, Says Father
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