Muin Gafurov fought through failed contracts, promotional barriers, and career-threatening losses for over a decade before making his UFC debut in 2023. Now, after fans believed he was finally settled inside the Dana White-led promotion, a poorly timed knee injury could leave his future hanging in the balance.

The UFC bantamweight has reportedly been forced to withdraw from his July 25 bout against promotional newcomer Abdul Hussein at UFC Abu Dhabi, missing out on what was shaping up to be a critical opportunity to rebound from one of the worst nights of his promotional career.

“I am hearing Muin Gafurov has suffered a knee injury, forcing him out of his fight against Abdul Hussein at UFC Abu Dhabi,” MMA insider Kevin K shared on X. “The UFC is looking for a replacement opponent.”

Gafurov confirmed the same on his social media, alongside an image of his taped and bandaged right knee.

“To the brothers who were looking forward to the upcoming fight: I sincerely apologize, but the bout has been cancelled due to a leg injury,” he wrote on his Instagram story. “God willing, everything happens for the best. Alhamdulillah for everything.”

While the UFC is now reportedly scrambling for a replacement opponent to keep the fight on the card, the timing couldn’t be worse for ‘Tajik’. The 30-year-old was all set to defend his position in the promotion against a highly touted prospect in Abdul Hussein, who is on an eight-fight winning streak and is about to make his UFC debut on the card at the Etihad Arena. Meanwhile, Muin Gafurov saw this as an opportunity to get his UFC career back on track after a disastrous last appearance.

But now, instead of fighting his way back into the winner’s column, he has been forced out completely due to the knee injury. And that must be especially frustrating given how long it took Muin Gafurov to reach the UFC in the first place.

‘Tajik’ began his professional career in 2013 and quickly built a 9-0 record before joining ONE Championship. He made a good start by defeating Toni Tauru in his debut, but subsequent losses sent him back to the regional circuit.

Muin Gafurov later returned to ONE and defeated Leandro Issa in the first round, seemingly earning himself a shot at the UFC. However, there was just one problem. The 30-year-old signed a UFC contract at a special press conference in Tajikistan, but ONE Championship blocked the move because he was still under contract with them.

By the time he eventually left the company, the UFC opportunity was gone. His next opportunity came on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, but a loss against Chad Anheliger again left him without a contract. ‘Tajik’, however, refused to give up.

After moving to LFA and recording impressive finishes against Herbeth Sousa and Diego Silva, he signed with the UFC in 2023. Even then, things didn’t start off smoothly, with Gafurov losing his first two Octagon appearances.

He finally won his first UFC fight against KyungHo Kang in June 2024, followed by the biggest victory of his career against undefeated prospect Rinya Nakamura. As a massive underdog, Gafurov gave Nakamura his first professional loss by unanimous decision, appearing to have finally turned his UFC career around.

At least until his last fight brought the axe closer to his neck.

Muin Gafurov’s last UFC fight already put his UFC roster spot in danger

Muin Gafurov’s February bout against Jakub Wikłacz was a night he needed to forget. In fact, things went south even before he stepped into the Octagon. He committed one of the biggest sins from Dana White’s ‘things not to do’ list, as the bantamweight missed weight by a shocking five pounds, stepping onto the scale at 141 pounds.

The bout was allowed to continue at catchweight, but Gafurov had to forfeit 25% of his purse to Wikłacz. But that’s not all, as the end of fight night made things even worse.

‘Tajik’ and Wikłacz battled over two chaotic rounds. Gafurov found success with his right hand early, but Wikłacz took over with his grappling in the second round, earning several takedowns and threatening a rear-naked choke.

And while the Polish fighter looked exhausted by the third, Muin Gafurov made a decision that truly cost him. Despite having the clear advantage on the feet, he shot for a late takedown. And unfortunately for him, the really exhausted Jakub Wikłacz reversed the position, locked up a mounted guillotine, and forced Gafurov to tap with only one second remaining in the bout.

So, entering UFC Abu Dhabi, the 30-year-old was already coming off a five-pound weight miss and a last-second submission defeat. Now, a knee injury has denied him the opportunity to immediately fix things. And this isn’t exactly the best time to be stuck in that position.

Head honcho Dana White recently released three fighters from the UFC roster, including Thiago Moises, a 16-fight veteran. The Brazilian ended his promotional run with an 8-8 record, going 3-5 in his last eight outings. Cameron Smotherman and Ariane Carnelossi also joined the unfortunate list.

That doesn’t always mean Muin Gafurov is definitely the next. His win over Nakamura remains a significant success, and an injury pullout is clearly different from simply refusing to fight.

Still, the UFC is constantly clearing out fighters who struggle to get traction, and Gafurov has already had a rocky run at 3-3 inside the Octagon. After years of fighting just to get into the UFC, the last thing ‘Tajik’ needed was another long stretch on the sidelines.