Umar Nurmagomedov gives tough injury update, sets sights on October UFC return in Abu Dhabi

Umar Nurmagomedov is still dealing with injury issues, and he looks to be on the outside looking in until the final quarter of 2025. The cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov has been out of action since his bantamweight title bid in January saw him take his first professional MMA loss.

At UFC 311, Umar fell short by unanimous decision to the reigning titleholder at 135 pounds, Merab Dvalishvili. In the post-fight interview, he stated that he felt like breaking his left hand early on in the contest which was confirmed days later after his manager shared an x-ray image of the damage via social media.

It turns out the damage is to such an extent that we will not see Umar Nurmagomedov back into the cage until the Fall. He recently addressed his injury status and overall return timeline on X, writing:

"As much as I want to, I'll only be able to fight in October. Fighting with an injured hand is stupid. I'll come back when I'm 100% healthy."

Check out the return timeline provided by Umar Nurmagomedov below:

Umar Nurmagomedov in the crosshairs of former UFC champion for his return bout

Umar Nurmagomedov will be out of action for many months but he already has a hungry top contender keen on being his return opponent. Petr Yan was at one point on a three-fight losing skid but now the former UFC bantamweight champion is poised to be on a three-fight winning streak if he wins in his next outing.

After a thorough performance that saw him defeat former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, Yan now turns his attention to the 29-year-old who just challenged for the UFC's 135-pound strap. Yan also used social media to convey his message albeit toward Nurmagmedov.

The callout was put out there before Nurmagomedov revealed how long he would be out of action. However, Yan seemed keen to fight Nurmagomedov on either the Azerbaijan card that the company is rumored to do in the Summer or on the late-July Abu Dhabi event.

To be fair though, Yan's call for an Abu Dhabi fight did not mention a specific month. Perhaps considering the magnitude of a matchup like this, the former divisional kingpin might be compelled to wait it out until Oct.

A clash between the Russian natives has all the makings of a potential title eliminator as we head into the bantamweight championship rematch with Merab Dvalishvili now defending his belt against Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 in June.