Khabib Nurmagomedov’s title bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209, one of the most anticipated fights of the year, will not go ahead after the Dagestani star was taken to hospital with “weight management issues”.

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UFC issued a statement on Friday to say that Saturday’s co-main event in Las Vegas had been “cancelled on the doctor’s recommendation”. It represents the third time a matchup between the two has been called off.

“It’s obviously a huge blow,” said UFC president Dana White.

Nurmagomedov was taken to hospital on Thursday after struggling to make weight for the 155lb title limit. According to the UFC statement, he was treated and discharged, but failed to appear at Friday’s official early weigh-ins. Ferguson came in at 154.5lbs.

White said Nurmagomedov’s team failed to go through the proper channels. “Basically, his team had decided to take him to just some random hospital here in Las Vegas instead of picking up the phone and calling our doctor and calling Brianna [Mattison], who runs all the medicals,” he said. “They went rogue and went out and did their own thing. Had they done this thing the right way, the fight probably could have been saved.”

Shortly after the announcement, Ferguson tweeted: “I hope you feel better Khabib. I pray for your recovery. I mean it: get better.”

Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMA Fighting: “I feel bad for Tony and his camp, I really do. The most important thing right now is Khabib’s health. He’s currently resting in his room. We’re not thinking about what’s next at this time. I want to sincerely apologize to Tony, his team, the UFC and the fans. We were all looking forward to this fight very much.”

It was not yet confirmed whether the fight will be booked for a later date.

The main event from UFC 209 will go ahead as scheduled after Tyron Woodley and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson both made weight on Friday morning. The UFC promoted an undercard bout between strawweights Amanda Cooper and Cynthia Calvillo on to the pay-per-view portion of the show.

Nurmagomedov and Ferguson were set to meet for the interim lightweight title while Conor McGregor is on hiatus. McGregor is awaiting the birth of his first child in May.