Khabib Nurmagomedov gets replacement Darrell Horcher at UFC on FOX 19

Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight next weekend after all, it just won't be against the opponent he expected.

With Tony Ferguson sidelined by injury, Nurmagomedov has instead been tapped to face Octagon newcomer Darrell Horcher in a 160-pound catchweight bout on April 16 at UFC on FOX 19.

The UFC confirmed the news Thursday following an initial report by FOX Sports.

As a result of the late switch, a light heavyweight match-up between Rashad Evans and Glover Teixeira has been elevated to a five-round main event. Nurmagomedov vs. Horcher will remain on the main card, while Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida serves as the new co-main event.

UFC on FOX 19 takes place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Ferguson pulled out of the Nurmagomedov bout earlier this week, marking the second time that a fight between the two lightweights failed to come to fruition. Ferguson cited "fluid" and "blood" in his lungs as the reason for his withdrawal, stating on social media that his doctor advised that "any more trauma could be terminal."

Not surprisingly, Donald Cerrone quickly volunteered his services to step in as a replacement, however the bout was unable to come together.

Instead, the flurry of late activity presents an remarkable opportunity for Horcher (12-1). A 28-year-old American prospect out of Pennsylvania, Horcher enters the UFC having won five consecutive fights, capped by a pair of third-round TKOs in 2015 which won and retained him the CFFC lightweight title.

Nurmagomedov (22-0), meanwhile, has been sidelined by an array of injuries since demolishing UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in mid-2014. The 27-year-old Sambo champion has won all six of his UFC fights and is currently the No. 2 ranked lightweight contender on the UFC's media-generated rankings.

An updated UFC on FOX 19 card can be seen below.

Main Card (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)
Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira
Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Darrell Horcher
Rose Namajunas vs. Tecia Torres

Preliminary Card (FOX, 6 p.m. ET)
Michael Chiesa vs. Beneil Dariush
Hacran Dias vs. Cub Swanson
John Dodson vs. Manny Gamburyan
Court McGee vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 4 p.m. ET)
Bethe Correia vs. Raquel Pennington
Randy Brown vs. Michael Graves
Cezar Ferreira vs. Caio Magalhaes
Drew Dober vs. Islam Makhachev
Omari Akhmedov vs. Elizeu Zaleski