Undefeated, Umar Nurmagomedov recently pulled out of his fight against Cory Sandhagen following an injury. He hurt his shoulder and had to undergo surgery for it. Meanwhile, he recently shared an emotional message for UFC president Dana White and the medical experts in the promotion on social media.

Umar Nurmagomedov has fought four fights in the UFC. He aims to replicate his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s success in the UFC and become a champion soon. However, his plans met a roadblock after a severe shoulder injury spoiled his plans to compete in the recent UFC Nashville card. Regardless of that, he has expressed his appreciation for Dana White and the UFC.

Nurmagomedov sends an emotional message to Dana White

‘The Eagle’s cousin mentioned how fighting was the important thing in his life. However, going into UFC Nashville with an injured shoulder wouldn’t have helped his case. Umar Nurmagomedov previously withdrew from his UFC 254 bout in 2020. Now again, he’d created a hassle for the promotion after withdrawing from his scheduled bout against Cory Sandhagen.

But the Dagestani bantamweight has shared a heartwarming message for the president and the UFC brass for looking after him during his injury. Nurmagomedov said, “I would like to say big thank you to [Dana White] and Hunter Campbell and the entire UFC Medical team as well as the team here in the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.”

Nurmagomedov also mentioned how helpful the UFC’s medical team had been to him through his surgery and recovery process. He will now head back home to completely heal his shoulder to return to competition again. “Everyone was super professional and helpful throughout my surgery and recovery process. I will not forget you guys. It’s now time to go home and continue my recovery,” said the 11th-ranked bantamweight. But what does it mean for Umar Nurmagomedov’s next step in the UFC?

What’s next for Umar Nurmagomedov?

As per earlier plans, the consensus was that the winner of the Nurmagomedov vs. Sandhagen fight would face the winner of the Sean O’Malley vs. Aljamain Sterling fight. While the Dagestani fighter recovers from his injury, it seems like ‘The Sandman’ will be the next in for the title shot after he defeated Rob Font, who replaced Umar Nurmagomedov in UFC Nashville.

It might take months before Nurmagomedov returns to fight again. The 2nd-ranked and 3rd-ranked fighters, Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo are both out of action due to injuries of their own. It is only logical that we will see Cory Sandhagen fight for the title next.

READ MORE: After Team Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Fighter Pull Out Forced a Replacement, Cory Sandhagen Takes Aim at Aljamain Sterling’s Gold

Shoulder injuries take at least three to six months before they fully heal. In addition to that, there is also the capability of getting the full range of motion of the arm. Hence, it might be a while before we see Umar Nurmagomedov back in action. We will have to wait and see what lies ahead in his UFC future.

WATCH THIS STORY: Israel Adesanya’s Light Heavyweight Move Discussed By UFC Legends