Tony Ferguson reacted to the news of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s withdrawal — and he didn’t seem surprised.
Nurmagomedov announced Wednesday that he would remain in quarantine in Russia and therefore, be unable to travel to the United States to fight Ferguson at UFC 249 on April 18. “The Eagle” was initially heading to Abu Dhabi to prepare for the fight; however, the borders were closed to non-residents leading Nurmagomedov to go home to Russia. To make matters worse, Russia announced a cross-border travel ban as of Monday.
While there was a glimmer of hope with the news that he could travel to the United States on a private flight, Nurmagomedov ultimately decided that healthy and safety was more important as he officially confirmed he would be withdrawing.
But as far as Ferguson is concerned, there is a different reason as to why the fight is not happening:
“Khabib, I believe he knew already that he wasn’t going to fight,” Ferguson said in a preview of an interview that will air on SportsCenter tonight (via TheMacLife). “We scared him. He had the opportunity to come back from Abu Dhabi. He has the power to take a plane and come back. This is the second time we punked him out. I’ve been doing the exact same thing for 8 years. To and from work, going in there and busting my ass, making sure I’m taking care of business.
“I’m a hitman. Khabib and Conor running around with their tails between their legs like a f*cking dog. I run with the dog’s man, and these guys ain’t dog. They’re a bunch of pussies. Khabib’s a b*tch. I told him I was gonna mop the f*cking floor with his hat, the dude jammed out.”
The UFC have reportedly offered Justin Gaethje as a replacement opponent for Ferguson. But that doesn’t appear to entice “El Cucuy” who believes he’s the real champion.
“Whether or not it’s Khabib, whether or not it’s Conor, I’m all for just whooping somebody’s ass,” Ferguson added. “I already beat the top five in the round-robin, and now they want me to reset and give me another top five? I don’t f*cking think so. I’m the champion already.”
What do you make of Ferguson’s response?