Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson

Manager Says Tony Ferguson Will ‘Never Fight Again’ After UFC 223

Tony Ferguson may never fight again after his upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC 223 against undefeated Dagestani Khabib Nurmagomedov, at least according to Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz. Abdel-Aziz clearly has a bias towards his own fighter but did explain his reasoning: Ferguson is the only opponent to have actually made Nurmagomedov mad. While past foes […]

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Tony Ferguson may never fight again after his upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC 223 against undefeated Dagestani Khabib Nurmagomedov, at least according to Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz.

Abdel-Aziz clearly has a bias towards his own fighter but did explain his reasoning: Ferguson is the only opponent to have actually made Nurmagomedov mad. While past foes had shown respect and received mercy in return, he detailed that “El Cucuy” has not (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. I’m concerned for him. I’m hearing some reports — and I respect Eddie Bravo, he’s a legend — I’m hearing that he’d accept, he’d be more than happy for Khabib to take him down. And I’ll tell you something … he’s not gonna be a normal human being. He’ll be in trouble. Because if he accepts takedown from Khabib and he will take him down, he will disfigure his whole entire face.”

Abdel-Aziz mentioned Khabib’s fights with Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson as examples of opponents who essentially didn’t piss off Nurmagomedov, and were treated accordingly:

“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.”

Ferguson has never shied away from causing controversy or getting confrontational, to the point where Nurmagomedov won’t hold back if he gets the interim champ on the ground where he does his most brutal work. And with UFC gold on the line, something Nurmagomedov has been demanding for ages, the stakes are that much higher.

Do you agree with Khabib’s manager that Ferguson’s antics have angered Nurmagomedov so much that the Dagestani will show no mercy? Will Ferguson fight again in the event he is brutalized by Nurmagomedov as Abdel-Aziz suggests?

UFC 223 takes place on April 7 in Brooklyn, New York.

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Michael Johnson Challenges Ex-Champion To Bout In Brazil

No. 7-ranked lightweight contender Michael “Menace” Johnson returned to action at Nov. 12’s UFC 205, but came up short in a bout against top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, losing by way of submission on the preliminary portion of the card. Now, Johnson is looking to get back to his winning ways, and he recently expressed interest

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No. 7-ranked lightweight contender Michael “Menace” Johnson returned to action at Nov. 12’s UFC 205, but came up short in a bout against top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, losing by way of submission on the preliminary portion of the card.

Now, Johnson is looking to get back to his winning ways, and he recently expressed interest in a bout with No. 4-ranked ex-champion Rafael dos Anjos (Via MMAMania.com). “Menace” even said that he’d be willing to fight dos Anjos in the former champ’s home of Brazil:

“Dos Anjos is the fight I want next,” he said. “I don’t know if he agrees with me — or if that’s a fight he wants — but that is what I’m going after. I was just down in Brazil for my brother Kamaru Usman’s fight and was sitting at the press conference when they announced the UFC would be coming back to Brazil in March.

“I thought, ‘Why not fight RDA in March?’” he continued. “I’ll come to his backyard and fight him in his home country. I have no problems with that at all. I think it would be a great fight. He’s a guy who likes to stand and trade and I’m the exact same way.”

Dos Anjos is also coming off of a tough loss to the red hot Tony Ferguson, and because of that, Johnson feels as if the pairing makes sense:

“We are both coming off tough losses to guys who we both would love to get back in there with. I think it’s perfect timing for this fight. I said before all the stars had to align for me to face Khabib and I think the same thing is happening now with RDA as well.” he added.

Who would you predict to win this potential clash?

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Won’t Fight In The UFC If Not Granted Title Shot

No. 2-ranked undefeated UFC lightweight contender Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov furthered his case for a lightweight title shot with a dominant submission victory over No. 6-ranked Michael Johnson at this past weekend’s (Nov. 12, 2016) UFC 205. Conor McGregor, who won the 155-pound title in the main event, doesn’t feel as if “The Eagle” deserves

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No. 2-ranked undefeated UFC lightweight contender Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov furthered his case for a lightweight title shot with a dominant submission victory over No. 6-ranked Michael Johnson at this past weekend’s (Nov. 12, 2016) UFC 205. Conor McGregor, who won the 155-pound title in the main event, doesn’t feel as if “The Eagle” deserves the next shot at the title.

Nurmagomedov took his official Twitter account early tonight to make it clear that he was willing to take extreme action if not given a title shot:


Prior to the UFC booking Eddie Alvarez vs. McGregor for the title, Nurmagomedov claimed that he had been sent two bout agreements for a title fight with “The Underground King”, but it seemed as if the UFC temporarily used him as a ‘pawn’.

As far as who may realistically receive the next shot at McGregor, the situation remains a bit cloudy especially given the fact that he now holds titles in two different weight divisions. A featherweight title defense could be next for the Irishman, as well as lightweight title fights with No. 1-ranked Tony Ferguson or No. 4-ranked Nate Diaz, who McGregor has already fought twice. On top of that, the outspoken Irishman has touched on the possibility of fighting welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley.

Does Nurmagomedov have a reason to be angry here?

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Poll: Was UFC 205 The Best MMA Event Of All Time?

With tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) historic UFC 205 in the record books from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the collective MMA world can now bask in the glory of a so-called ‘super card’ that actually delivered to the point of legitimately being in the conversation for the best mixed martial arts event

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With tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) historic UFC 205 in the record books from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the collective MMA world can now bask in the glory of a so-called ‘super card’ that actually delivered to the point of legitimately being in the conversation for the best mixed martial arts event of all time.

The card featured UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor making history by stopping lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to become the first concurrent two-weight champion in UFC history in the main event, yet it also featured so, so much more. New York City’s first major MMA event also showcased the absolutely insane back-and-forth war between Tyron Woodley Stephen Thompson in the co-main event in addition to Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s entertaining women’s strawweight title bout versus a very game Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

The main card had more drama still, with Yoel Romero knocking out former champ Chris Weidman with a picturesque flying knee and Miesha Tate’s shocking retirement after her decision loss to Raquel Pennington. Finally, the prelims were home to even more exciting fights, as Frankie Edgar once again showed his legendary heart by surviving a huge head kick from Jeremy Stephens to outlast the power-hitting “Lil’ Heathen,” while top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov picked up his first win over a top competitor in two-and-a-half years when he submitted Michael Johnson after a dominant wrestling display.

All in all, it was a legendary event that made a strong case for the best MMA event ever. Do you think it earned that lofty title?

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Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson Video Highlights

A potential UFC lightweight title shot was up for grabs when feared grappling specialist Khabib Nurmagomedov took on resurgent contender Michael Johnson on the preliminary card of tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) blockbuster UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Faced with a mountainous challenge of “The Eagle” and his 22-0 record, “Menace”

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A potential UFC lightweight title shot was up for grabs when feared grappling specialist Khabib Nurmagomedov took on resurgent contender Michael Johnson on the preliminary card of tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) blockbuster UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Faced with a mountainous challenge of “The Eagle” and his 22-0 record, “Menace” flashed some of the power that enabled him to knock out the previously surging Dustin Poirier in his previous bout, rocking the Dagestani wrestling champion with pinpoint shots in the first round.

From there, however, it was all Nurmagomedov and his world-class (and possibly peerless) wrestling, as he closed the distance to take down “The Menace” and smother him with a relentless onslaught of at-time hard to watch ground and pound that softened him up for a third round submission via kimura.

It was a dominant win that proved Nurmagomedov is definitely deserving of the title shot he called out for after the fight. For now, watch the full fight video highlights of his latest one-sided win here:

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Focused On Title, Not Money

In today’s fight game, it seems as if ‘money fights’ are all the rage rather than fights that make the most sense from a rankings standpoint. After all, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will challenge lightweight king Eddie Alvarez at November 12’s UFC 205 despite having not defended his title since he won it last

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In today’s fight game, it seems as if ‘money fights’ are all the rage rather than fights that make the most sense from a rankings standpoint.

After all, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will challenge lightweight king Eddie Alvarez at November 12’s UFC 205 despite having not defended his title since he won it last December and having instead taken two fights at welterweight in the meantime. Undefeated contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, a man who’s undoubtedly deserving of a shot at 155-pound gold, was passed over for the title shot given McGregor’s incredible star power.

“The Eagle” will instead take on Michael Johnson at UFC 205 in a bout that he hopes is a title eliminator bout. Recently speaking with Champions.co, Nurmagomedov said that he cares about the belt and not the money:

“I care about the belt,” Nurmagomedov said.“I want to finish this fight and fight for the title. I don’t care who has the title, who wins (between Alvarez and McGregor). I don’t care about money.

“I know a lot of fighters fight for the money, but money is not everything for me. I know money is very important for life, but I have money. I never use MMA to make money. MMA for me is about my life, about my blood and about everything I do all my life. Money, I can make money with other stuff. I have money. I have everything. I need the belt.”

Do you expect Nurmagomedov to get by Johnson, and if he does, will he finally receive his long awaited title shot?

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