Tag: Tony Ferguson

Eddie Alvarez Calls Out Diaz vs. McGregor II Winner

Add another UFC champion to the growing list of fighters who want the biggest name ‘money’ fight they can get in the Octagon. Top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov teased a big announcement last week, and many were quick to guess that could only mean a bout with newly crowned champion Eddie Alvarez, who won the

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Add another UFC champion to the growing list of fighters who want the biggest name ‘money’ fight they can get in the Octagon.

Top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov teased a big announcement last week, and many were quick to guess that could only mean a bout with newly crowned champion Eddie Alvarez, who won the belt with a shocking first-round KO of Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 90 in early July.

But ‘The Underground King’ isn’t singing the same tune. He has his focus on a whole different pair of opponents, and during a recent conversation with TMZ (via FOX Sports), Alvarez revealed he not surprisingly wants to face the winner of August 20’s pivotal welterweight bout between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor:

“I’ve got my eye on Nate Diaz-Conor. I would love to the fight the winner of that whole crew. I keep getting asked by all the media — you fight all the best guys in the world and at the end of the day the media asks ‘what about Conor McGregor?’ so I’m sick of being asked about his name. Him or Nate. I have some history with Nate, too. Either one of them.”

It’s a strong argument from Alvarez, as no matter which top-ranked lightweight he sent packing – and there are several – the media would continually ask about him fighting McGregor until he did. And it could also be argued that Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson would be far tougher challenges for a smaller payday compared to Irish featherweight champ McGregor.

Alvarez isn’t exactly a name draw himself, but like UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, he knows where the biggest payday – and also perhaps the easiest title defense – lies. In his eyes, he brings the other key piece of the pie, and that’s the belt:

“I’m sure either one of them want the lightweight title,” Alvarez said. “They ain’t going to get it, but they can challenge for it.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Says USADA Found ‘Too Much Courage’ In His Testing Samples

UFC 155-pound killers Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson and Russian powerhouse Khabib Nurmagomedov simply do not like one another. The two were originally set to meet at The Ultimate Fighter Season 22 Finale (TUF 22 Finale) last December, however Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of the contest citing an unfortunate injury suffered in training camp. Another […]

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UFC 155-pound killers Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson and Russian powerhouse Khabib Nurmagomedov simply do not like one another.

The two were originally set to meet at The Ultimate Fighter Season 22 Finale (TUF 22 Finale) last December, however Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of the contest citing an unfortunate injury suffered in training camp.

Another attempt to reschedule the contest was made for UFC on FOX 19 this past April, but this time it was Ferguson who would suffer an injury forcing him out of the bout. Nurmagomedov would remain on the card to take on UFC newcomer Darrell Horcher instead, defeating the UFC rookie via second round TKO.

Ferguson is coming off a second round submission win over another UFC newcomer, Lando Vannata, and is scheduled to step inside the Octagon with former 155-pound champion Rafael Dos Anjos at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale.

While we will have to wait for a potential Ferguson vs Nurmagomedov bout down the road, ‘The Eagle’ hasn’t refrained from taking shots at ‘El Cucuy’ through social media. Nurmagomedov took to Instagram to take shots at Ferguson regarding his United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) tests:

“This moron Ferguson has concerns about my doping tests. Hey idiot, I was tested 11 times, and 11 times antidoping agency found too much courage in my samples, unlike your cowardly eyes, that you was hiding when we met in person.”

The undefeated Nurmagomedov currently awaits his next bout after successfully returning against Horcher after a near two-year layoff, hoping for his long awaited shot at lightweight gold.

Nurmagomedov and newly crowned champ Eddie Alvarez have exchanged words of their own over the past few weeks, so it may not be long before we see ‘The Eagle’ finally get his opportunity to challenge for the throne of the talent stacked UFC 155-pound division.

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UFC Makes Rafael Dos Anjos-Tony Ferguson For November

Tony Ferguson’s quest to win nine consecutive fights in the UFC will have to go through a former champion, as he is set to meet Rafael dos Anjos this November.

UFC officials confirmed the previously reported bout on Wednesday. It will serve as the f…

Rafael dos Anjos Tony Ferguson

Tony Ferguson’s quest to win nine consecutive fights in the UFC will have to go through a former champion, as he is set to meet Rafael dos Anjos this November.

UFC officials confirmed the previously reported bout on Wednesday. It will serve as the five-round main event for the November 5 card from the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City. The card will air live on FOX Sports 1 and feature the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3.

Dos Anjos (25-8) had his five-fight win streak snapped by Eddie Alvarez last month, losing the UFC lightweight title via first round knockout. He had bested Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson and Jason High during his run.

Ferguson (21-3) picked up his eighth straight win when he submitted Lando Vannata in July with a second round D’arce choke. It marked the fifth submission win for the fighter during his current win streak, which includes wins over Edson Barboza, Josh Thomson and Abel Trujillo.

Report: Tony Ferguson-Rafael Dos Anjos In Works For November Card

An intriguing contest in the lightweight division is in the early stages of being completed, as Tony Ferguson and Rafael dos Anjos have verbally agreed to fight.

The bout would take place this November 5 from Mexico City during The Ultimate Fighter:…

rafael-dos-anjos-weigh-in

An intriguing contest in the lightweight division is in the early stages of being completed, as Tony Ferguson and Rafael dos Anjos have verbally agreed to fight.

The bout would take place this November 5 from Mexico City during The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3 finale. The event is likely to be a “Fight Night” card.

Ferguson has scored eight consecutive victories, including a recent submission of Lando Vannata. Dos Anjos dropped the UFC title to Eddie Alvarez last month after successfully defending it vs. Donald Cerrone.

The bout was first reported by Champions.co.

RDA vs. Tony Ferguson Reportedly Set For UFC Mexico City Main Event

A potentially action-packed lightweight main event has reportedly been set for the UFC’s upcoming return to Mexico City. According to a report from champions.co, sources close to the situation have confirmed former champion Rafael dos Anjos will face top contender Tony Ferguson in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Latin America 3 Finale […]

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A potentially action-packed lightweight main event has reportedly been set for the UFC’s upcoming return to Mexico City.

According to a report from champions.co, sources close to the situation have confirmed former champion Rafael dos Anjos will face top contender Tony Ferguson in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Latin America 3 Finale on November 5.

Dos Anjos will look to rebound from his surprising first-round knockout loss to Eddie Alvarez in the main event of July 7’s UFC Fight Night 90 from Las Vegas, a loss that snapped an impressive five-fight win streak that saw him beat Anthony Pettis for the title before demolishing Donald Cerrone in his first and only defense.

The top-ranked Brazilian ill have his hands full with one of the most surging competitors in all of MMA, as “El Cucuy” has won a steamrolling eight straight bouts in arguably the mot stacked division in the UFC. Ferguson was last seen defeating late replacement Lando Vannata at July 13’s UFC Fight Night 91, an ultra-exciting bout where he was rocked by a head kick and nearly finished in the first round before rallying to come back with some huge strikes and his go-to d’arce choke to finish the fight in the second.

Added to his epic war with Edson Barboza in late 2015, Ferguson has proven to put on some of the most exciting fights in the UFC as of late. It’s hard to put RDA too far behind him in that aspect, as well, so this bout has fireworks written all over it.

The UFC has made two previous trips to Mexico City, with Fabricio Werdum knocking out Mark Hunt to win the interim heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 180 in 2014 after Cain Velasquez had withdrawn from his bout with “Vai Cavalo.” Werdum then sealed up the official heavyweight championship when the promotion returned to the capital city seven months later for UFC 188, submitting Velasquez with a vicious third-round guillotine.

Who are you picking when RDA and ‘El Cucuy’ throw down in Mexico?

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Edson Barboza Responds To Will Brooks’ Call Out

No. 6-ranked UFC lightweight contender Edson “Junior” Barboza picked up arguably the biggest victory of his career this past weekend (Sat., July 23, 2016), scoring a decisive decision win over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. With back-to-back victories over former champions under his belt, Barboza has made it clear that he’d next like to take

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No. 6-ranked UFC lightweight contender Edson “Junior” Barboza picked up arguably the biggest victory of his career this past weekend (Sat., July 23, 2016), scoring a decisive decision win over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. With back-to-back victories over former champions under his belt, Barboza has made it clear that he’d next like to take on one of the division’s top contenders next. He was, however, also called out by No. 12-ranked former Bellator champion “Ill” Will Brooks.

Check out Barboza’s response to brooks below:

“If the UFC says you have to fight this guy to get close to the title shot, why not? But like I said, I prefer to fight somebody above me in the rankings,” Barboza said according to MMAjunkie. “If I have a choice, I’d prefer to fight somebody ahead of me. There are five guys ahead of me, and I hope the UFC gives me these guys. If you see the rankings, it’s better for my career. I have to fight the best.”

Brooks, who has been considered to be amongst the best 155 pounders in the world for a few years now, recently made his Octagon debut earlier this month, scoring a decision victory over Ross Pearson. “Ill” Will does possess solid name value, but Barboza may have a point, as a higher ranked fighter could be more suitable at this point in his career.

As far as who he would like to fight next, the Brazilian has previously expressed interest in facing off with former champion Rafael dos Anjos, top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, or the surging Tony Ferguson. “Junior”, however, feels as if Ferguson should receive the next shot at gold so perhaps a bout with RDA or “The Eagle” would make sense:

“In my opinion, the guy who deserves it the most is Tony Ferguson. He’s busy all the time fighting everybody. Khabib stayed out for a long time, and I think he has to fight a couple more guys to get the chance.”

Who would you like to see Barboza meet next time out?

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