Those who have seen your face, draw back in fear!
And here you thought this was brutal.
Ali Abdel-Aziz, manager for top-ranked lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, is legitimately concerned for the welfare of Tony Ferguson, who meets “The Eagle” in the UFC 223 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this April in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He’s swell like that.
In fact, Abdel-Aziz is already expressing his condolences to “El Cucuy” for what is sure to be his retirement fight. One that will leave him bloody and disfigured to the point where he’s unlikely to be medically cleared to compete ever again.
From his conversation with MMA Fighting:
“I feel sorry for Tony Ferguson, because on April 7, Tony Ferguson is probably never gonna fight again. I’m concerned for his well-being, I’m serious. I’m not just saying that to promote a fight. Because if he accepts takedowns from Khabib and he will take him down, he will disfigure his whole entire face. It’s gonna be brutal, it’s gonna be ugly, it’s gonna be bloody,. Because Khabib was very nice to Barboza, he was very nice to Michael Johnson. But I’m telling you something. One thing that Khabib is not gonna do, he’s not gonna be nice to Tony Ferguson. My prediction: Tony Ferguson will probably need to take two years off or maybe not come back after this fight. I’m concerned — again, one more time — I really mean it. I’m concerned with Tony Ferguson’s health. He will not be the same. He might not fight again.”
Remember guys (and gals), this is not hyperbole.
Ferguson has been paired off with Nurmagomedov a handful of times in the past; however, ill-timed injuries and bad weight cuts torpedoed scheduled bouts at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 Finale, as well as UFC 209.
Third fourth time’s the charm?
We’ll find out in roughly two months. In the meantime, you can check out the official UFC 223 fight poster, which also features the strawweight rematch between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, by clicking here.