Informed sources close to the situation reported on the organization of the lightweight bout.
Bekzat Almahan, 26, is riding an eight-fight win streak, seven of which came early.
Undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov has four wins under the UFC banner, most recently knocking out Brazilian Raoni Barcelos in the first round. Last August, the 28-year-old Russian was scheduled to fight American Corey Sandhagen, which theoretically could have been a contender fight, but Nurmagomedov suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and withdrew from the bout.
Umar Nurmagomedov is currently ranked thirteenth in the UFC lightweight division rankings.