UFC commentator Joe Rogan is one of many who doesn’t understand why Tony Ferguson is being overlooked against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ferguson challenges Nurmagomedov for his lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York. However, there is already talk of Conor McGregor facing Nurmagomedov in a rematch with […]
UFC commentator Joe Rogan is one of many who doesn’t understand why Tony Ferguson is being overlooked against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Ferguson challenges Nurmagomedov for his lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York. However, there is already talk of Conor McGregor facing Nurmagomedov in a rematch with UFC president Dana White claiming that is the fight that is next for the Irishman.
Of course, Nurmagomedov has to get past Ferguson first, which will be no easy feat. Rogan even believes “El Cucuy” is the toughest fight of his career:
“I don’t know why they’re saying that when Khabib has to fight Tony motherf*cking Ferguson,” Rogan said in a recent episode of his podcast. “Tony’s the boogeyman. That nickname ‘El Cucuy’ is a perfect nickname for that guy. That guy is terrifying. He never gets tired, everyone that fights him look like they fell off a train. It’s crazy.
“I think Khabib vs. Tony is the toughest fight of Khabib’s career. I really believe that. I think Tony Ferguson is a nightmare for anybody. Especially right now. When you watch his fight with Anthony Pettis, how he busted up Donald Cerrone — I think Tony Ferguson is the scariest guy for anybody at 155 pounds to fight.”
With all that in consideration, when it comes to a Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor rematch, Rogan says he wouldn’t be making any plans until after April 18:
“I would not be making any plans,” Rogan added. “If I was Dana or I was anybody else — I would not be making any plans. Khabib can win that fight. Tony can win that fight too.”
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believes that Tony Ferguson will pose the greatest threat to Khabib Nurmagomedov yet. On April 18, Nurmagomedov will put his UFC lightweight championship on the line against Ferguson. The title bout is scheduled to headl…
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believes that Tony Ferguson will pose the greatest threat to Khabib Nurmagomedov yet. On April 18, Nurmagomedov will put his UFC lightweight championship on the line against Ferguson. The title bout is scheduled to headline UFC 249 inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. This will be the third time […]
Brendan Schaub feels fight fans and the UFC are making a mistake underestimating Tony Ferguson. Ferguson is scheduled to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship on April 18. The title bout will headline UFC 249. Khabib vs. Fe…
Brendan Schaub feels fight fans and the UFC are making a mistake underestimating Tony Ferguson. Ferguson is scheduled to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship on April 18. The title bout will headline UFC 249. Khabib vs. Ferguson is being held inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Ferguson Is Being Overlooked Against […]
Dustin Poirier is favoring Khabib Nurmagomedov over Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov defends his lightweight title against Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. It’s a fight that was previously booked four times only to never come to fruition. Hopefully, the fifth time is a charm as it’s a fight not only fans, […]
Dustin Poirier is favoring Khabib Nurmagomedov over Tony Ferguson.
Nurmagomedov defends his lightweight title against Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. It’s a fight that was previously booked four times only to never come to fruition.
Hopefully, the fifth time is a charm as it’s a fight not only fans, but fighters as well have been waiting to see for years. Poirier is one of them as he broke down the highly-anticipated matchup:
“It’s a fun fight,” Poirier told The Schmo in a recent interview. “I’m excited to see it happen because it’s in the lightweight division and the fight was supposed to happen so many times before. I think Tony could cause problems for Khabib with the elbows from the bottom and also just his unpredictability on the feet. He has a crazy scrambling ability, does front rolls and really weird stuff.
“But once Khabib gets his hands around Tony, I don’t think Tony’s going to get back up honestly. I think Khabib wins that fight but we’ll see. That’s the beauty of MMA.”
Poirier speaks from experience. After all, he suffered a third-round submission defeat to Nurmagomedov in the UFC 242 headliner back in September.
“The Diamond” notably looked flustered at how powerful Nurmagomedov was when he was being controlled on the ground.
But as he mentioned, anything is possible in mixed martial arts, and Ferguson is one of the most unpredictable and unorthodox fighters in the entire promotion. If anyone could stop “The Eagle,” it’s definitely him.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are set for one of the most highly-anticipated fights in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA) this April. Nurmagomedov puts his lightweight championship up for grabs against “El Cucuy” in the UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner on April 18 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It’s a […]
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are set for one of the most highly-anticipated fights in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA) this April.
Nurmagomedov puts his lightweight championship up for grabs against “El Cucuy” in the UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner on April 18 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It’s a fight that has been booked four times before, with the bout falling through each time due to injury. Now, the MMA world is hoping that the fifth time will be the charm, and both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson can make the walk healthy come April.
Ahead of the bout, Nurmagomedov’s American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) coach, Javier Mendez, spoke to AKA Fight News on YouTube to discuss the matchup. During the interview, Mendez touched on how much praise Ferguson receives for his cardio inside the Octagon. However, Mendez mentioned that Nurmagomedov is also a cardio machine, and the AKA camp anticipates a five-round war with “El Cucuy.” (H/T The Body Lock MMA)
“You have to remember Khabib is a cardio machine too, so what’s the big deal?” Mendez said. “So you got a guy [Ferguson] that’s going to be there in the fifth round — so what? Khabib is going to be in the fifth round too. I don’t anticipate a stoppage. I anticipate a war, five rounds. I expect a five-round decision and a smashing.
“That’s what I’m predicting and that’s what, in my mind, we’re prepared to do. But in order to do that, we have to prepare for the toughest person we’ve yet to face and that’s Tony. You have to respect him that way in order to smash him that way. I’ve always done that. The respect for him is there because if we don’t respect him, we’re going to get smashed by him.
“You got to respect him and everything he does. And his five-round cardio thing, yeah, he’s going to be there for five rounds but when has Khabib been known to get tired?”
Ferguson is currently on a ridiculous 12-fight win streak in the UFC’s lightweight division. That run included an interim lightweight championship run, with wins over Kevin Lee, Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and more. Now, he’ll finally get his opportunity to test himself against Nurmagomedov, the undefeated 28-0 champion who has looked virtually unstoppable inside the Octagon.
Many believe that, if anyone, Ferguson is the man to give the Russian grappling sensation a run for his money. His ability to work wonders off of his back on the mat, his phenomenal jiu-jitsu ability, and unorthodox striking techniques are unlike anything Nurmagomedov has ever seen. It will be interesting to see if his record remains spotless after battling with Ferguson in April.
What do you make of Mendez’s prediction for a five-round war between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson?
At UFC 249 in April, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be putting his strap up for grabs against Tony Ferguson. However, lightweight contender Kevin Lee claims Nurmagomedov and Lee are fighting for his title. Speaking to MMA Junkie recently, Lee offered his thoughts on the matchup between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. Lee said the lightweight throne […]
Speaking to MMA Junkie recently, Lee offered his thoughts on the matchup between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. Lee said the lightweight throne truly belongs to him, and he is going to continue to go into the Octagon and prove that every time he fights.
“Khabib and Tony are getting ready to fight for it, but that’s my title,” Lee said. “I got to go out there and I got to keep proving it to people. So yeah, I feel like I’m a little exed out of certain conversations that should be happening but, I’m going to come out the back end and they can’t stop me. So yeah, am I getting a little bit more respect? OK, but not really. Not yet.”
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been booked to fight four times before their booking for UFC 249. Each time the fight has been scrapped due to injury, with both Ferguson and Nurmagomedov pulling twice each. The mixed martial arts (MMA) community continues to hold its breath as the days inch closer to the fight, hoping another injury doesn’t derail this dream matchup again.
As for Lee, he initially wanted to fight on the undercard of that headliner, but that didn’t materialize. Instead, he’ll challenge Charles Oliveira at UFC Brasilia this March. Despite the bad injury history the matchup has seen, “The Motown Phenom” believes the fight will happen this time around.
“I think it’s gotta happen,” Lee said. “Even just for them two, I think they’re going to try and make everything happen to make sure that that fight happens for sure so I’m kind of banking on it to happen. I wanted to fight on the undercard of that one, but I’ll still be in attendance, I’ll still watch that fight.”
Before he can think about any sort of title bout, Lee first needs to get through a streaking Oliveira. Not only does he face a man who has finished his last six fights in a row, but he takes him on in front of his own Brazilian crowd in enemy territory. Lee is continuing his work with Tristar Gym in Montreal, alongside the likes of Firas Zahabi and Georges St-Pierre, and anticipates a “hell of a fight” with his Brazilian counterpart.
“I think it’s going to be a hell of a fight,” Lee said. “I’m headed over to Tristar and we going to come up with a great game plan and we’re going to go out there and put it on him. I don’t think he’s as well-rounded as me. He is very well-rounded but not as much as I am so I’m going to prove again that I’m the most well-rounded lightweight and I’m coming for that title.”
What do you make of Lee’s comments suggesting Nurmagomedov and Ferguson are fighting for his title?
