Tag: khabib nurmagomedov vs tony ferguson

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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Tony Ferguson Claims He Was Offered Conor McGregor Fight

Interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson will be finally fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov at April’s UFC 223 from Brooklyn, but he claims that wasn’t the original idea. Ferguson revealed at today’s UFC 25th Anniversary Series press conference from Boston that Conor McGregor was offered a fight against him, but he declined to do so. McGregor hasn’t fought […]

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Interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson will be finally fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov at April’s UFC 223 from Brooklyn, but he claims that wasn’t the original idea.

Ferguson revealed at today’s UFC 25th Anniversary Series press conference from Boston that Conor McGregor was offered a fight against him, but he declined to do so. McGregor hasn’t fought or defended his title since winning it in 2016:

“Well they offered me Conor; Conor didn’t want to fight. So I wanna fight people that actually wanna sit there and fight, I’m not gonna beg somebody to go there and fight.

“This is the real belt; I’ve fought 10 fights. You guys all watched ’em. If not, you’re a casual. Go watch my fights, you’ll see exactly why I have this belt. I am the champ.”

“El Cucuy” stated that McGregor’s time was done and he was actually defending ‘his’ title to predictable boos from the many McGregor fans:

“Conor McNuggets is nothing, he’s lost his sauce. And this is defend or vacate. This is, right here, I’m defending my belt. My belt, I’m defending.”

Also at the press conference, UFC president Dana White didn’t say McGregor was stripped of the title but did provide a confusing bit of runaround by claiming Ferguson Vs. Nurmagomedov would be for the real lightweight title.

“I have no update. The winner of Khabib-Ferguson will be the champion.

“They’re going to fight for the real title. This is the real title. I said that Conor can’t hold up the title for two years.”

If what White says is true, the ‘real’ lightweight champion will be determined at UFC 223 in April, yet we’ve seen him say one thing and do the exact opposite or many more than one occasion. Ferguson won the interim belt after submitting Kevin Lee at UFC 216 while McGregor has remained MIA.

McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh has been doing his best to keep “The Notorious’” name in the mix; however, there has been no word or confirmation on McGregor’s next fight, or if he will fight again at all. McGregor notoriously made nearly $100 million in his boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather in August, and is financially set  for the foreseeable future.

Do you believe McGregor turned down a fight with Ferguson? If so, does he deserve to be stripped of the title?

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Khabib Is Keeping His Weight A Secret Prior To UFC 219

It’s no secret that Khabib Nurmagomedov has struggled to make weight in the past. The top-ranked UFC lightweight was forced out of his scheduled interim title bout with Tony Ferguson at March’s UFC 209 due to an excessive weight cut. This time, the Dagistani is keeping his cards close to his vest and isn’t disclosing […]

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It’s no secret that Khabib Nurmagomedov has struggled to make weight in the past.

The top-ranked UFC lightweight was forced out of his scheduled interim title bout with Tony Ferguson at March’s UFC 209 due to an excessive weight cut.

This time, the Dagistani is keeping his cards close to his vest and isn’t disclosing any information about his current weight as he prepares for a fight against Edson Barboza at UFC 219.

All he said is that he is eight days ahead of schedule at a recent media luncheon for UFC 219 via MMA Fighting:

“Not big. Asking fighters how much they weigh and how old they are is not a good idea. How old are you and how much do you weigh (are) two questions you can’t ask women and fighters.”

“I want to see my fights, too. I’m a very big fan of MMA. I watch all fights. It’s not only about UFC; I watch Bellator and other organizations. I like my fights, too. I think first of all, you have to make weight. If you don’t make weight, there’s going to be trouble.”

The undefeated lightweight contender is a hulking presence in the cage but has struggled more than once in making weight against Darrell Horcher and Abel Trujillo.

Nurmagomedov and Barboza could be battling for the next crack at the (interim) lightweight belt as champion Conor McGregor mulls over his next move, but nothing is even remotely certain in the UFC lightweight division as of right now.

Do you think Khabib will make weight for UFC 219? Will his weight cut affect his performance against Barboza?

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Conor Told Dana Not To Pay ‘Bum’ Ferguson ‘A F*cking Dime’

Since winning the UFC lightweight title with a one-sided stoppage victory over Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 last November in New York City, Conor McGregor hasn’t defended his title and he may not do so in the foreseeable future either, as he continues to campaign for a mega fight with boxing […]

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Since winning the UFC lightweight title with a one-sided stoppage victory over Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 last November in New York City, Conor McGregor hasn’t defended his title and he may not do so in the foreseeable future either, as he continues to campaign for a mega fight with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.

It’s for this very reason that UFC President Dana White scheduled an interim 155-pound title fight between top contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson for UFC 209, which took place this past March. Unfortunately, “The Eagle” suffered issues during his weight cut, forcing the highly anticipated bout to be scrapped just a day prior.

After it was made clear that Nurmagomedov was unable to compete, No. 6-ranked Michael Johnson offered to step in and replace the Dagestani competitor, but Ferguson turned down the bout, something McGregor voiced his displeasure about in a text message he sent to the UFC boss:

“After this shit went down with Tony and Khabib, Conor texts me and says, ‘I can’t believe you’re going to fucking pay that bum Tony Ferguson one dollar. You shouldn’t pay him a fucking dime. He was there, made weight and you lined up a fight for him with Michael Johnson after Khabib fell out and didn’t make weight, and he turned it down. Fucking bum.’ That’s Conor’s mentality in that he should’ve taken that fight against Michael Johnson,” White said in a recent interview with Snoop Dogg on GGN News. “That’s what Conor said to me and that’s one of the many things that I love about Conor McGregor. And he isn’t just talking, because I’ve stood in his living room, looking at him telling him that his opponent fell out and he doesn’t give a shit.”

Ferguson hasn’t competed since his bout with Nurmagomedov fell through, but he’s repeatedly called out Nate Diaz in recent memory. “The Eagle”, however, has expressed his interest in re-booking an interim title bout with Ferguson for this fall.

Do you agree with McGregor’s view on the situation?

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Khabib Eyeing Fall Interim Title Fight With Tony Ferguson

Khabib Nurmagomedov is undoubtedly one of the best lightweight contenders in the world, but his health has often held him back. That was the case this past March when “The Eagle” was forced to withdraw from a highly anticipated interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 just a day prior after his […]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is undoubtedly one of the best lightweight contenders in the world, but his health has often held him back. That was the case this past March when “The Eagle” was forced to withdraw from a highly anticipated interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 just a day prior after his body failed him during a difficult weight cut.

Since then, the undefeated Russian has been focused on recovering and he recently revealed that he’s targeting an interim title fight in October for his return bout:

“Regarding health – I have nearly completed rehabilitation,” he said (h/t ToFight.ru). “I will start to train somewhere in the middle of June. The return is planned for October because I need four months of full training. As for the match, I think, that 90 percent I will fight for the interim title.”

While his next opponent is obviously unclear at this time, Nurmagomedov admits that he still has interest in competing against Ferguson, who has won an incredible nine straight fights:

“Actually, right now the UFC lightweight division is one of the most competitive. In this case, there are many worthy men who will already fight for the title in the near future. Who I’m going to fight is not yet known, but of course I will insist on a fight with Tony Ferguson because now I do not see any other contenders and I do not want to fight with anyone, but to him.”

Are you still interested in seeing “The Eagle” and “El Cucuy” do battle?

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Tony Ferguson to Conor McGregor: Defend The Belt Or Vacate It

Lightweight contender Tony Ferguson tore into 155 pound champion Conor McGregor on Twitter this week, challenging the two-time champ to defend his lightweight belt or vacate the strap entirely. Ferguson (22-3) was supposed to take on fellow lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 209 for the interim belt, but the Dagestani was forced to withdraw

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Lightweight contender Tony Ferguson tore into 155 pound champion Conor McGregor on Twitter this week, challenging the two-time champ to defend his lightweight belt or vacate the strap entirely.

Ferguson (22-3) was supposed to take on fellow lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 209 for the interim belt, but the Dagestani was forced to withdraw from the fight a day before their scheduled showdown.

Without a fight lined up, “El Cucuy” has set his sights on the champion, who has been angling for a boxing match with legend Floyd Mayweather lately.

McGregor won the 155 pound strap after TKOing former champ Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, having entered the fight as reigning featherweight titleholder as well.

With no fight currently lined up, Ferguson, who’s riding a nine-fight win streak, has certainly made his case for a title shot at this point. But with the champion of his division essentially missing in action while this Mayweather fight plays out, Ferguson took to Twitter to lure the champ back to his division to defend the belt.

While a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz also hangs in the balance, “El Cucuy” could be waiting for his title shot for a while as McGregor sorts out his next moves regarding a boxing match with Mayweather.

In the meantime, Ferguson and the rest of the lightweight division are left in the lurch as the 155 pounders wait for McGregor’s next move. And with the streaking lightweight saying a fight with Nurmagomedov is behind him following the UFC 209 debacle, the future seems more uncertain than ever for Ferguson.

Will “El Cucuy” get his wish and finally receive a title shot against the champ? At this point, only time will tell.

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