Tag: Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Max Holloway Reveals Why He Couldn’t Turn Down Khabib Fight

It’s a rather strange day for the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) as fans accept the fact that Tony Ferguson will no longer face Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of Saturday’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from Brooklyn, New York. In his place stepped featherweight champion Max Holloway to battle the bulldozing Dagestani force. […]

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It’s a rather strange day for the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) as fans accept the fact that Tony Ferguson will no longer face Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of Saturday’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from Brooklyn, New York.

In his place stepped featherweight champion Max Holloway to battle the bulldozing Dagestani force.

It’s the biggest fight of “Blessed’s” currently surging MMA career, one where he has the opportunity to become only the fifth two-weight champ in UFC history, so not surprisingly, he revealed it was a bout he simply couldn’t turn down.

Speaking to Hawaiian news outlet KHON News (via MMA Fighting) as he got prepared to board his flight to New York, “Blessed” said there was no other route to take when he was offered the once-in-a-lifetime fight at the last minute:

“April Fools! Nah, I’m just joking.

“My manager called me. He said, ‘Tony’s hurt’ and ‘they want you and Khabib’. I was like…how do you turn down an opportunity like this? Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime and there was really only one guy was able to do it. I’m glad to be the second guy and I’m going to go out there and make history.”


But while the rising star is moving up to lightweight this weekend, he admitted he still has business to handle at 145 pounds – namely a potential blockbuster of a title fight with No. 1 contender Brian Ortega.

For now, however, his focus is justifiably on April 7 in Brooklyn:

“I’m here to fight man. I’m not a matchmaker. I’ve got business to handle at 145. But I said, when the UFC call, I’m only one call away. They called the right guy. I’m here, six days’ notice — April 7 is going to be a great night,” he said.

Finally, the titleholder gave a quick assessment of the undefeated Nurmagomedov’s peerless skills, but stopped short of giving too much praise by insisting he didn’t know why people were scared of ‘The Eagle’ before calling himself the best:

“Animal. You know what they say, ‘to beat the best you’ve got to be the best’, and the best is Blessed, baby. I can’t wait. This guy’s one of the most feared guys, I don’t know why. We’re all fighters, we all train. He’s human, I’m human and we get to go out there and see who is better.”

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Details Emerge Surrounding Tony Ferguson’s Mysterious UFC 223 Injury

By now, the mixed martial arts (MMA) world has had to accept the fact that Tony Ferguson’s withdrawal from his monstrous UFC 223 title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov was not an April Fool’s joke. News arrived earlier tonight that Ferguson had been replaced at this upcoming weekend’s pay-per-view event by featherweight champion Max Hollway after reportedly […]

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By now, the mixed martial arts (MMA) world has had to accept the fact that Tony Ferguson’s withdrawal from his monstrous UFC 223 title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov was not an April Fool’s joke.

News arrived earlier tonight that Ferguson had been replaced at this upcoming weekend’s pay-per-view event by featherweight champion Max Hollway after reportedly tearing his LCL off the bone during an accident while fulfilling his media obligations this Friday.

The situation sounded like a rarely-seen, strange set of circumstances leading to the fourth cancellation of this oft-booked but never materialized fight, and upon closer glance, the reality may be even stranger than you may think. Shortly after the news broke from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that “El Cucuy” was out in an interview with Dana White, the journalist followed up with some details of what happened to Ferguson.

And apparently, it had nothing to do with fighting:

It’s an incredibly painful blow to Ferguson’s title chances, as the winner of Holloway vs. Khabib will most likely move on to a massive title unification bout with Conor McGregor – or at least, that’s what the UFC hopes.

The massive fight with Khabib appears to be one that just won’t happen without some sort of damning ailment, and it’s unlikely the UFC chooses to make it a fifth time.

The worst part is that this year’s biggest fight just fell apart to a freak occurrence when Ferguson spun on a dime to greet an acquaintance and tripped.

But, in a nutshell, that kind of sums up his rivalry with Khabib in a nutshell.

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Tony Ferguson Issues Statement On Devastating UFC 223 Knee Injury

As the MMA universe attempts to collect itself following the extremely disappointing news that Tony Ferguson had been forced out of his UFC 223 main event against Khabib Nurmagomedov due to a knee injury and replaced by featherweight champion Max Holloway, all of the involved parties have begun to weigh in. “The Eagle” wished his […]

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As the MMA universe attempts to collect itself following the extremely disappointing news that Tony Ferguson had been forced out of his UFC 223 main event against Khabib Nurmagomedov due to a knee injury and replaced by featherweight champion Max Holloway, all of the involved parties have begun to weigh in.

“The Eagle” wished his oft-scheduled opponent well but issued a warning not to talk so much, while Holloway posted his own wildlife-focused prediction for the short-notice fight.

Finally, Ferguson himself weighed in with his own statement on Twitter that focused on how devastated he was to be forced out of the previously thrice-scheduled bout again:

Check out what ‘El Cucuy’ had to say:

It’s an especially demolishing set of circumstances for Ferguson, who will, according to UFC president Dana White, lose the interim title he won by defeating Kevin Lee at UFC 216 last October.

Now, Holloway vs. Nurmagomedov will be for the so-called “official” lightweight title (who really knows what that even means anymore), and “El Cucuy” will be left out in the cold regarding the title picture if White’s prediction that the winner at UFC 223 would face current ‘champion’ (or something) Conor McGregor sometime later this year.

The situation is a mess unlike any we’ve ever seen in the UFC, and it was an April Fool’s joke that ultimately turned out to be true.

The silver lining of it is that we get to see an exciting match-up we never saw coming, but for Ferguson, an otherwise surging force who still maintains one of the most impressive win streaks in the storied lightweight division’s history, Easter Sunday was an especially harsh one.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Reacts To Tony Ferguson’s UFC 223 Withdrawal

On an Easter Sunday that just so happens to also fall on April Fool’s Day, the MMA world is buzzing with the deflating news that interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson was reportedly forced out of his pivotal UFC 223 main event against Khabib Nurmagoemdov next weekend. After injuring the LCL in his knee, Ferguson was […]

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On an Easter Sunday that just so happens to also fall on April Fool’s Day, the MMA world is buzzing with the deflating news that interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson was reportedly forced out of his pivotal UFC 223 main event against Khabib Nurmagoemdov next weekend.

After injuring the LCL in his knee, Ferguson was apparently replaced by UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, who will return from his own leg injury to try and hand “The Eagle” his first-ever MMA loss.

Many wondered if the news of the fight being called, which has somehow happened three times before, was a cruel joke, but to this point, it appears that it’s legitimate.

Shortly after the internet started breaking, Khabib got onto Instagram himself to react to the news, wishing Ferguson well but also telling him that he wouldn’t stoop to his level and begin talking smack even though he wanted to:

“Tony heal up man. Just want to advise you, don’t talk too much anymore. Lot of thoughts in my head right now, but I don’t want to become like you. Hope, this lesson will teach you watch your mouth.”

Nurmagomedov has clearly had his own extended issues with staying healthy and making it to his fights, and this point in time it seems like his awaited match with Ferguson just isn’t meant to be.

UFC president Dana White suggested the winner of Holloway vs. Nurmagomedov could fight lightweight champion Conor McGregor possibly this September, but as we’ve seen with “The Notorious’” schedule as of late, nothing is close to guaranteed.

As for Khabib, you could argue his work just got a little easier even though he is facing a surging champion on an incredible win streak because Ferguson was on the same type of run while being the bigger fighter.

For the 25-0 one-man wrecking crew, his opponent most likely doesn’t matter, however, and next weekend could mark the rise of ‘The Eagle’ even if he’s not facing his oft-scheduled rival Ferguson.

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Tony Ferguson Out Of UFC 223, Max Holloway Faces Khabib

It appears that Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is indeed a fight that’s too good to be true. A report arrived from MMA Fighting tonight that revealed sources had informed Ariel Helwani that Ferguson was out of his anticipated main event versus “The Eagle” at next weekend’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from the Barclays […]

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It appears that Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is indeed a fight that’s too good to be true.

A report arrived from MMA Fighting tonight that revealed sources had informed Ariel Helwani that Ferguson was out of his anticipated main event versus “The Eagle” at next weekend’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Apparently, Ferguson injured the LCL in his knee in training a few days ago and UFC President Dana White told ESPN that it was serious enough to require surgery:

“He actually tore it off the bone, he’s gonna need surgery on his knee,”

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, who recently was forced out of his scheduled title defense versus Frankie Edgar at March 3’s UFC 222, will apparently step in to face Nurmagomedov for some version of the lightweight title, the official version of which has not been contested for since Conor McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez at November 2016’s UFC 205.

White had high praise for Holloway, focusing on the potential history “Blessed” could make as a two-weight champion if he somehow got by the undefeated, bulldozing Nurmagomedov:

“He’s a stud,” White said of Holloway accepting the bout on short notice. “The guy hasn’t lost a fight since 2013, and that was a decision to Conor McGregor.

“He’s the type of guy that steps up for opportunities like this. And when you think about it, if he wins this fight, other than Conor McGregor, he will be the only guy to hold two belts at the same time.”

White said that McGregor couldn’t make weight and be ready in six days’ time when asked if “The Notorious” was in consideration to replace Ferguson, and did not really want to waste his biggest draw on short notice anyway:

“I don’t think Conor McGregor could make the weight on six days’ notice. That’s a tough weight cut for him,” White said. “And Conor is not the guy I want to throw in as a late replacement fighter. He’s a guy I want to make a fight with and have the right amount of time to promote the fight.

“I think Conor could return in September, and it could be against one of these guys.”

White clarified that Ferguson would lose the interim title he won the interim title by defeating Kevin Lee at last October’s UFC 216, and it appears he’s going to miss out on winning the official title in the immediate future.

Regardless of the confusion, however, this fight is for the real title according to White, and the winner will face McGregor sometime around this fall:

“That goes away,” White said. “This fight is for the title. The winner of this fight will be the champion.

“As soon as these guys step in the ring and throw a punch, it’s on for the title,” White said. “Whoever wins, wins the title and we’ll see what happens with Conor over the next several months. I know he had expressed some interest in fighting in September.”

Ferguson had been scheduled to face Nurmagomedov three times before, with each fight being called off for one injury or another to both fighters.

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Tony Ferguson Describes How Conor McGregor Cheated His Way To The Top

If interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson can somehow hand undefeated bulldozer Khabib Nurmagomedov his first defeat in the main event of April 7’s UFC 223, ‘El Cucuy’ could finally move on to a title unification bout (or something like that) with absent champion Conor McGregor. Yet while that’s the biggest carrot currently being dangled […]

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If interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson can somehow hand undefeated bulldozer Khabib Nurmagomedov his first defeat in the main event of April 7’s UFC 223, ‘El Cucuy’ could finally move on to a title unification bout (or something like that) with absent champion Conor McGregor.

Yet while that’s the biggest carrot currently being dangled in the MMA world, it’s far from guaranteed that McGregor will face Ferguson or McGregor no matter who wins the awaited fight in Brooklyn, New York.

The polarizing Irishman has drawn the ire of much of the collective MMA fanbase after not defending either the lightweight nor featherweight titles since he won the 145-pound strap back in 2015, and he’s recently chosen to enjoy the spoils of his monstrous payday to box Floyd Mayweather last August. That fight earned ‘The Notorious’ a reported $100 million dollar haul, and so it’s hardly a surprise to hear roars of him potentially facing Mayweather again, this time in the octagon.

His pending trilogy match with Nate Diaz will always be around, too, so Ferguson or Nurmagomedov could be left out in the cold, even if they become the official – or something – champion at UFC 223. Ferguson has long led his #defendorvacate charge online, but during a recent media luncheon yesterday (Thurs. March 29, 2018), ‘El Cucuy’ used an old-school video game reference to describe McGregor’s rise to stardom, a path he called easy to the point of cheating in a certain sense (via MMA Fighting):

“Conor used the Game Genie to get to where he’s at,” Ferguson said Thursday. “Now if you play video games all the time and you’re a real gamer, you’re not going to use the Game Genie, you’re not going to use the codes. You’re going to go on there and get your ass kicked and you’re going to play it again.

“When I used the words that Conor used the Game Genie, I said that he talked his way into it,” Ferguson said. “Which I’m not bashing. But I’m saying that he used a method that not a lot of people get to use. Because when we get into the fight game, we get into it, not to do this (makes hand-talking gesture). I’m blessed with that. I speak what’s real. … I’ve earned my way here. I don’t want anyone else carrying my torch because that torch is heavy.”

An obscure throwback for sure, but also one that might make some sense when unpacked considering McGregor beat Dennis Siver to earn his title shot against Jose Aldo in 2015.

Regardless, McGregor’s mouth has earned him the throne atop MMA’s most revered names, even if he hasn’t fought for almost two years. Despite that fact, McGregor’s boasts on social media still generate headlines, even if a rapidly growing contingent of MMA faithful are growing tired of his all flash and no substance style as of late.

So Ferguson knows he may or may not get the fight, and isn’t apologetic for the accusations he just leveled at ‘The Notorious.’ To him, people need to get off their phones and social media and do something else with their lives:

“I said he used the Game Genie,” Ferguson said. ”Everybody is so uptight worried about what everyone else thinks. Stop. Unplug, go out. Do something with your life. Get off of this sh*t (makes motion like scrolling through a cell phone). Go do something.”

Sound advice without a doubt, but there’s also little doubt that a heavy social media campaign will most likely be required to get the fight with McGregor even if he does defeat Nurmagomedov in two weeks’ time.

Do you agree with Ferguson saying McGregor was gifted an easy road to stardom, and if they do one day meet, will he back up that talk in the octagon?

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