Umar Nurmagomedov reveals arm fracture kept him out of January fight, open to any opponent

Umar Nurmagomedov wants to get back in the octagon and he doesn’t care who is standing across from him.

The No. 2-ranked bantamweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, Nurmagomedov is arguably the deserving No. 1 contender for UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili. The undefeated Nurmagomedov has openly campaigned for the fight even as Dvalishvili has repeatedly dismissed him as a challenger, with Dvalishvili seemingly favoring matchups with Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan.

On Saturday, Nurmagomedov posted an update on his status to social media, explaining that he is unable to compete in January due to an arm fracture, but that the injury is fine and he aims to compete soon.

I had a small arm fracture and couldn’t perform in January. My arm is fine now, and I’m open to any offers.

Anyone, Anywhere!!

It’s unclear if Nurmagomedov was intended to be booked for the UFC’s January schedule, but regardless the update is a welcome one for fans wondering if Nurmagomedov is willing to fight again before facing Dvalishvili, or why Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov hasn’t been mentioned as a potential headliner for UFC 311 in Los Angeles on Jan. 18.

Nurmagomedov was rumored to be facing Song Yadong in December, though that matchup never materialized, and he has ruled out fighting Dvalishvili in March, the month of Ramadan. For now, it appears the rivals are nowhere close to being on the same page.