Nurmagomedov (photo via gazetaesportiva.net)

By FCF Staff

Khabib Nurmagomedov has incurred another setback, as the lightweight contender is reporting he’s broken his rib and will no longer fight Tony Ferguson at the TUF 22 Finale.

Nurmagomedov has yet to compete in 2015, as the vaunted grappler has incurred two knee injuries over the last year. Nurmagomedov’s last bout took place in April, 2014, when he decisioned now reigning champ, Rafael dos Anjos.

“The Eagle” was supposed to return on December 11th to face Ferguson, but recently Nurmagomedov posted the following announcement on Instagram :

Хочу извиниться перед моими болельщиками, я сломал ребро и опять выбыл с боя, я очень хотел вернуться, я не уверен вернусь ли я вообще когда нибудь, спасибо большое Всем моим болельщикам, моим спонсорам, хвала Аллаху в любом положении. I want to apologize to my fans. I broke my rib, and again I am out of the fight. I really wanted to come back, I'm not sure if i will ever come back. Thanks to my fans and my sponsors. Praise to Allah. #Alhamdulillah #khkmmateam #reebok #ufc

A photo posted by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Oct 29, 2015 at 10:31pm PDT

The UFC has yet to make any formal announcement regarding Nurmagomedov’s injury. According to a report from MMA Fighting.com, the promotion is considering Edson Barboza as a replacement.