In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, top UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov is injured again. According to reports, Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of his upcoming Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale co-headlining bout against Tony Ferguson due to a rib injury. There are preliminary talks of Edson Barboza stepping in to replace him, but as of now, nothing is set in stone. This makes it the third straight fight Nurmagomedov has not been able to see to completion. It started with a planned UFC 178 fight against Donald Cerrone which “The Eagle” was forced out of after a knee injury. He reaggravated the same knee when the bout was rescheduled for UFC 187 and now he’s out of his December fight. Nurmagomedov has not fought since a unanimous decision victory over now-UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos in April of 2014. Depending on how long it takes for him to recover from this rib setback, he could be on over a two-year break before he sees the Octagon again. Ross Pearson vs. Francisco Trinaldo – UFC Fight Night 81 While one UFC bout was cancelled, another was announced as recent winners Ross Pearson and Francisco Trinaldo are slated to throw down in Boston this upcoming January. Pearson was victorious in his last bout over Paul Felder via unanimous decision despite being a hefty underdog. Trinaldo did the same thing, winning via first round TKO over Chad Laprise this past August as a huge dog. This is a pretty evenly matched fight, but Trinaldo definitely has more momentum. The Brazilian has won four straight bouts and is coming off the best victory of his career while Pearson has been unable to string any wins together in his last eight fights. While Pearson has more name recognition, it wouldn’t shock me to see Trinaldo open as the slight betting favorite this time around due to his recent string of success.
MMA Odds and Ends for Friday – Nurmagomedov injured again
