Tag: UFC 209 weigh-ins

Poll: Should Nate Diaz Fight Tony Ferguson?

Yesterday (Wed., May 3, 2017) Nate Diaz set the MMA world afire with his lengthy interview on a special episode of “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani. Diaz had much to say about a litany of topics from the new UFC owners to Conor McGregor’s long-rumored boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, but the most disappointing

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Yesterday (Wed., May 3, 2017) Nate Diaz set the MMA world afire with his lengthy interview on a special episode of “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani.

Diaz had much to say about a litany of topics from the new UFC owners to Conor McGregor’s long-rumored boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, but the most disappointing part of the entertaining segment, at least for his legions of fans, was when Diaz revealed he would be taking the rest of the year off to participate in his beloved triathlons, as the UFC hadn’t made him an offer high enough to come back.

He also detailed how he had initially accepted but ultimately turned down a bout with Tony Ferguson at July 8’s UFC 213, citing a number of reactions from fans online. Diaz understandably wants his rubber match with McGregor and the highly lucrative purse that comes with it, and it’s plain to see why from his point of view. He’s the only man to defeat McGregor in the octagon and did so by submission, and his one loss to “The Notorious” came in a close majority decision.

So it doesn’t make much sense for him to fight the surging Ferguson, who is a dangerous opponent who brings only a small piece of the hype and attention that a potentially record-setting bout with McGregor would. No matter what, the UFC needs stars for its big summer run, and it could make sense for them to just pay the piper and get Diaz in the octagon.

That doesn’t look like it’s happening, however. Should he have agreed to fight Ferguson?

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Does Khabib Nurmagomedov Deserve A Title Shot?

Yesterday (Fri., March 31, 2017) top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov made what many felt was a bit of a lofty request when his manager said he was looking to return to a title shot in August or September. The undefeated mat technician has long been touted as the clear future of the storied UFC 155-pound division,

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Yesterday (Fri., March 31, 2017) top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov made what many felt was a bit of a lofty request when his manager said he was looking to return to a title shot in August or September.

The undefeated mat technician has long been touted as the clear future of the storied UFC 155-pound division, but that status became incredibly murky when he was forced to withdraw from is awaited interim title bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 due to health issues from cutting weight. And with injuries limiting him to only two bouts since April 2014, ‘The Eagle’ is one of the most unpredictable fighters in MMA, even if he is may also be one of the most dangerous athletes.

Set to take his traditional holy month of Ramadan off to fast, Nurmagomedov is in a tricky spot in terms of his career. He’s long called for a fight with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, yet many, including octagon commentator Joe Rogan, think it doesn’t seem like that fight will become a reality anytime soon.

There is always the issue of his health and if he can actually make 155 pounds any longer, and that’s not even taking into a ccount the fact that McGregor could be out of MMA for an unforeseen period of time to finalize his negotiations with boxer Floyd Mayweather on their seemingly pproaching super fight. So that means Khabib’s most likely path to a title shot in his return fight would be against Ferguson, who’s expressed interest in signing it again even though it has fallen apart thrice.

What do you think? Does Khabib deserve to return right into an immediate title shot, or has he become too unreliable?

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Wants Title Shot For UFC Return

Undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov sent a shockwave of disappointment throughout the MMA world when he was unceremoniously forced out his highly anticipated interim title fight against Tony Ferguson at March’s UFC 209 in Las Vegas because of complications from a failed weight cut. However, that doesn’t mean the Dagestani fan favorite is looking for any lesser of

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Undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov sent a shockwave of disappointment throughout the MMA world when he was unceremoniously forced out his highly anticipated interim title fight against Tony Ferguson at March’s UFC 209 in Las Vegas because of complications from a failed weight cut.

However, that doesn’t mean the Dagestani fan favorite is looking for any lesser of a match when he returns. News arrived from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto today that Khabib has visited a doctor and has a good bill of health heading into his normal hiatus for the holy month of Ramadan. When he does come back, he’s looking for a title shot to close the summer on a high note:

That could be somewhat of a tall task, as while he’s been an absolute bulldozer inside the cage, Nurmagomedov is also well-known for pulling out of more high-profile bouts than he participates in, with match-ups against Donald Cerrone and Ferguson all falling apart in recent years due to multiple injuries.

His desire for a title shot may be more difficult to obtain considering current UFC 155-pound champ Conor McGregor is on the sidelines awaiting a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. that appears to be an almost certain eventuality at this point. “The Eagle’s” saving grace could be the fact that there aren’t too many other legitimate opponents for the surging Ferguson, who said he would still fight his often-scheduled foe during this week’s ‘UFC Tonight’ even though every previous booking of the two had been called off.

The match still remains one of the most anticipated in the 155-pound division’s history, however, and none of know when McGregor will return to MMA, if he ever does. Should the UFC book the match yet again?

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Tony Ferguson Believes There’s ‘Nobody Else’ But Conor McGregor

UFC lightweight title contender Tony Ferguson took the classy way out when when he reacted to his anticipated UFC 209 interim title fight against undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov being called off last Friday. However, that doesn’t mean “El Cucuy” is going to angle for a fourth attempt to fight the oft-injured “Eagle.” Ferguson told TMZ Sports he

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UFC lightweight title contender Tony Ferguson took the classy way out when when he reacted to his anticipated UFC 209 interim title fight against undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov being called off last Friday.

However, that doesn’t mean “El Cucuy” is going to angle for a fourth attempt to fight the oft-injured “Eagle.” Ferguson told TMZ Sports he believes he will be next in line for the Holy Grail of MMA bouts, a sure to be massive lightweight championship fight against champ Conor McGregor:

“Conor’s next. I hear he might be next. There’s nobody else in line, buddy. I just want to fight. I’m ready to go.”

Ferguson has a strong point when he suggested there’s “no one else in line” in terms of true lightweight rank, as the promotion will almost certainly be hesitant to book Nurmagomedov in a high-profile title fight anytime soon after his latest pullout.

Where “El Cucuy” is a bit off base is suggesting he’s the only man in line for McGregor, as “The Notorious” is of course aiming for the huge payday of his oft-rumored boxing super fight with Floyd Mayweather.

It seems a mere eventuality, but that’s keeping McGregor out of the octagon, where several more high-profile fights with names like Tyron Woodley, Georges St-Pierre, a trilogy match with Nate Diaz, or even his brother Nick Diaz all provide tantalizing potential and would arguably each outgross a McGregor-Ferguson lightweight title match-up.

With that the case, Ferguson left the door open for quite possibly not facing McGregor next, adding that he does not care whom he fights:

“It doesn’t matter man. We’ll see what they say.”

What will the UFC say? They may not have much of one if the brash Irish megastar is truly holding out for the mega-payday that comes along with facing an undefeated once-in-a-generation star like Mayweather.

And if he does get a check worth between $50 to $200 million, what incentive would McGregor have to ever return to the UFC?

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UFC 209 Ceremonial Weigh-Ins & Results: The Show Continues Without Key Lightweights

The early and ceremonial UFC 209 weigh-ins have wrapped up. Fans looking forward to seeing tomorrow night’s (March 4) UFC 209 event were hit with some unfortunate news. While Tony Ferguson made weight for his interim lightweight title bout, Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to step on the scale and was removed from the card. “The […]

The early and ceremonial UFC 209 weigh-ins have wrapped up. Fans looking forward to seeing tomorrow night’s (March 4) UFC 209 event were hit with some unfortunate news. While Tony Ferguson made weight for his interim lightweight title bout, Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to step on the scale and was removed from the card. “The […]

Tony Ferguson Reacts To Khabib Fight Cancellation

By now the full burden of today’s disappointing news that the interim lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of tomorrow’s (Sat., March 4, 2017) UFC 209 from Las Vegas had been cancelled, and none felt the harrowing situation’s weight more than the surging “El Cucuy.” No. 2-ranked Ferguson, who was

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By now the full burden of today’s disappointing news that the interim lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of tomorrow’s (Sat., March 4, 2017) UFC 209 from Las Vegas had been cancelled, and none felt the harrowing situation’s weight more than the surging “El Cucuy.”

No. 2-ranked Ferguson, who was the consensus top contender along with Nurmagomedov for champion Conor McGregor’s belt thanks to nine consecutive wins, could have blasted Khabib after their bad blood-hyped buildup to the fight. But “El Cucuy” actually did the opposite, offering the following classy tweet that seemed to have the most genuine of intentions:

Ferguson seems extremely understanding after both of them had each pulled out of one of their two previously scheduled meetings. He was set to finally capitalize on his biggest-ever UFC fight by far, and now it remains uncertain if he will ever get his bout with “The Eagle.”

But he’s not going to let that get him down. Ferguson appeared at today’s UFC 209 ceremonial weigh-ins to address the situation to Octagon commentator Joe Rogan courtesy of MMAFighting.com:

Ferguson kept up with his positivity, saying everything happens for a reason and urging fans to still respect Nurmagomedov, the UFC, and the rest of the fighters on UFC 209 tomorrow night:

“I thought it was just a nightmare man; something worse than ‘El Cucuy.’ It’s just some shitty stuff we had to go through. No disrespect to Khabib or the UFC, but everything happens for a reason. This is a fighters’ sport, so I want everyone of you to give love for the UFC and give love to Khabib, and I really want you guys to buy this pay-per-view, because the rest of the fucking card is amazing!”

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