Tag: Tony Ferguson

Tony Ferguson Hits Back At Khabib’s ‘Never Be The Same’ Jibe

Tony FergusonTony Ferguson hits back at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s suggestion that Ferguson “will never be the same” following devastating loss to Gaethje.

Tony Ferguson

Most MMA fans have a Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov fight at the top of their MMA match up wish list.

The fight between the two has been cancelled an astounding five times. This has led to many branding the fight cursed.

‘El Cucuy‘ and ‘The Eagle‘ were last scheduled to fight back in April at UFC 249. The world descended into chaos due to COVID-19 and the champion Nurmagomedov could not return to the United States. Therefore, Tony Ferguson went on to take on the vicious Justin Gaethje instead. The prize was the interim UFC Lightweight strap and a shot at the Russian champion later down the line.

Gaethje would end up dominating the bout, with Ferguson looking a shell of his regular self. Gaethje won the interim belt via a fifth-round TKO of ‘El Cucuy’. ‘The Highlight’ is finally getting his crack at the undisputed title this Saturday at UFC 254.

Despite this only being Ferguson’s first loss in twelve fights, Nurmagomedov saw it as a career changer. ‘The Eagle’ even went as far to suggest that his rival will “never be the same” after his bloody one-sided loss with Gaethje.

Ferguson has hit back at the criticisms from his Russian rival and the wider media during a sensational interview with ESPN. (H/T BJPenn.com)

”I see fear in (Khabib’s) voice if he thinks he has to talk bad about people. He can’t put that sh*t in my head. I will fight Khabib at one point or another. He will see me before he retires. We’ll make that a point.”

Michael Chandler is the new kid on the block after arriving from Bellator looking for a scrap. Ferguson has no problem fighting Chandler but is unsure the newbie deserves the fight.

In the meantime, Khabib Nurmagomedov looks to go 29-0 with a win over Justin Gaethje on Fight Island this weekend.

Do you think Tony Ferguson will bounce back from his recent loss?

Dustin Poirier On Failed UFC Negotiations: I Have ‘Bled Too Much To Be Disrespected’

PoirierDustin Poirier will only compete when he is paid his worth. Poirier is currently in limbo as he looks to return to action before the end of the year. He has already accepted a potential fight with Conor McGregor, however, he is yet to receive an actual written offer from the UFC. There are also […]

Poirier

Dustin Poirier will only compete when he is paid his worth.

Poirier is currently in limbo as he looks to return to action before the end of the year. He has already accepted a potential fight with Conor McGregor, however, he is yet to receive an actual written offer from the UFC.

There are also doubts as to whether McGregor would fight him as while he, too, has accepted the bout on social media, he wants to compete before the end of the year as opposed to January.

Of course, Poirier could have been competing later this month at UFC 254 if negotiations over potential fights with Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler had gone well. Unfortunately, negotiations failed with Poirier revealing the UFC weren’t even far from what he wanted but refused to budge.

“It was back in my hands when they came back and offered me Chandler,” Poirier told Ariel Helwani. “But I already had plans in motion of going back home and also, I wanted to be paid more.”

Poirier went on to add that he was offered the same amount to fight Chandler as he was offered to fight Ferguson. To make matters worse, he learned Chandler was being paid more than him for a potential fight.

While he is happy for Chandler to make money in the UFC, “The Diamond” — like Ferguson — felt slighted that a new signing was being paid more than him.

“I would never count another man’s money,” Poirier added. “I hope Chandler makes a ton of money in the UFC. But the fact that I’ve been in the UFC for 10 years. Fight of the Year contenders over and over again, eight main events, two pay-per-view main events. And the guy is going to come in here and make more money than me. I understand it’s business but if you want me to fight that guy, we got to step it up.

“That’s a slap in the face. I’ve shed too much blood in the Octagon. That’s just where I’m coming from — maybe it doesn’t make sense for you but I’ve bled too much to be disrespected.”

Poirier certainly has a point.

What do you think of Poirier’s comments?

Khabib Nurmagomedov Believes Tony Ferguson’s Time Is Finished, Calls For Him To Face Makhachev

Nurmagomedov Tony FergusonKhabib Nurmagomedov believes Tony Ferguson will not be the same fighter once he returns to action. Nurmagomedov takes on Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout that will headline UFC 254 on October 24. Of course, it could have been Ferguson that Nurmagomedov was facing later this month. However, Ferguson would lose to Gaethje […]

Nurmagomedov Tony Ferguson

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Tony Ferguson will not be the same fighter once he returns to action.

Nurmagomedov takes on Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout that will headline UFC 254 on October 24. Of course, it could have been Ferguson that Nurmagomedov was facing later this month.

However, Ferguson would lose to Gaethje via fifth-round TKO in their interim lightweight title fight at UFC 249 back in May, further cursing a dream contest with Nurmagomedov. And as far as “The Eagle” is concerned, he doesn’t believe a fight with Ferguson is possible anymore.

In fact, he even believes Ferguson may be finished at the top given the punishment he took from Gaethje.

“Nobody can be the same for a long time. Nobody,” Nurmagomedov told ESPN. “No Tony Ferguson, no Khabib, nobody. One day, somebody gonna beat you, something gonna happen, God doesn’t give nobody the power, reaction, mental, one level, always.

“One day you’re going to go down and his day come. It was May. Tony Ferguson’s time is finished. Now he’s gonna come back, and someone gonna beat him again, I believe. Because when you take damage like this, you’ll never going to be the same. Never ever. Even if you’re Tony Ferguson. He took too much damage.”

However, there is one way Ferguson could get back into title contention and that’s by competing at UFC 254.

“El Cucuy” was originally slated to face Dustin Poirier at the event but failed negotiations with the UFC meant the fight didn’t come to fruition. Michael Chandler was offered instead but Ferguson took issue with the new signing being paid more than him.

Instead, Nurmagomedov has called on Ferguson to face Islam Makhachev — currently without an opponent after Rafael dos Anjos tested positive for COVID-19.

“Right now, [Ferguson] have choice,” Nurmagomedov added. “He can come to Fight Island and fight with Islam Makhachev. Islam have six-fight win streak, he is almost in the Top 10. He has a name. Why not? Why he don’t want to take this fight? UFC is going to give him good money. Ali Abdelaziz is going to give him $100,000 and $100,000. After this, maybe he can fight for the title if he win. But I think his time is finished.”

What do you make of Nurmagomedov’s comments?

Khabib: Tony Ferguson Is “Finished,” Should Fight Makhachev

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov does not believe Tony Ferguson will ever be the same fighter again after losing to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. It has been years that fans have been begging and longing to see a fight between Khabib Nurmagome…

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov does not believe Tony Ferguson will ever be the same fighter again after losing to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. It has been years that fans have been begging and longing to see a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. The latest near collision between the two was at […]

The post Khabib: Tony Ferguson Is “Finished,” Should Fight Makhachev appeared first on MMA News.

Tony Ferguson: Who Will ‘El Cuccy’ Face In His Return?

Tony FergusonFormer interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson sent a message of intent earlier this week as he sounded off on UFC 254 main eventers Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. While ‘El Cuccy’ clearly still has his eyes on lightweight gold he also hinted that a move up to welterweight could be very much on the cards. […]

Tony Ferguson

Former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson sent a message of intent earlier this week as he sounded off on UFC 254 main eventers Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. While ‘El Cuccy’ clearly still has his eyes on lightweight gold he also hinted that a move up to welterweight could be very much on the cards.

So, we at LowKickMMA the home of live MMA results and news decided to look at who is likely next for Ferguson. Check out the list of fighters below and let us know who you think Ferguson is most likely to fight in the comments.

Conor McGregor: UFC superstar Conor McGregor is currently retired but one glance at the Irish fighter’s social media tells you he is itching to get back. In recent weeks he has been linked to a boxing bout with Manny Pacquaio and a return to the Octagon against Dustin Poirier. A fight between McGregor and Ferguson seems a way off right now but things move quickly in the world of combat sports so don’t be too surprised if we see ‘El Cuccy’ getting that ‘Red Panty Night’ when he returns.

Dustin Poirier: ‘The Diamond’ looked set to be the man to welcome Ferguson back. Dustin Poirier was supposed to square off against the 36-year-old at UFC 254 later this month, but the fight fell through due to financial issues. Both men seemed to be supporting each other publicly – for a while. Most recently, Ferguson blasted Poirier for actively pursuing a rematch with McGregor. The hype around this fight may have died down right now but make no mistake, Poirier is who we are likely to see Ferguson face next.

Dan Hooker: Dan Hooker is basically the best of the rest at lightweight – and we say that with all due respect. The UFC may opt to match him up against Ferguson, mainly due to the fact it’s a fight that would be an all-out war for as long as it lasts. Both men are known for letting it all hang out on the feet and if McGregor vs. Poirier II does actually come to fruition a fight against Hooker may be the best available option.

Michael Chandler: The latest addition to the 155lb UFC division is a decent option and one we think the promotion’s matchmakers would be keen on. It’s common knowledge that Ferguson was offered a fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 254 after Poirier dropped out. The thing that will likely stand in the way is unfortunately finances. Ferguson refused to take that fight largely due to the fact Chandler would be earning more money despite this being the former Bellator champions’ promotional debut. I do think this is a bigger hurdle than many may think. Ferguson is a man of pride and he won’t take kindly to what he sees as disrespect from the UFC if they insist on paying him less than Chandler who is undoubtedly not the in the same league as ‘El Cuccy’ when it comes to pulling power.

Nick Diaz: Ferguson mentioned him in his most recent interview with Ariel Helwani so we have to as well – Nick Diaz. The former Strikeforce welterweight champion and UFC contender recently announced he is set to return to the sport. Since then pretty much everyone at 170 and 185lbs have been calling out the fan favourite. Ferguson may be the biggest name to do so yet. It’s certainly a fight that would excite MMA hardcore while also appealing to the wider public. Diaz-Ferguson may be a long shot, but someone has got to welcome the Stockton, California native back to the Octagon – why not the former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson?

Who do you want to see Tony Ferguson fight next?