Some rivalries never die out.
That could be said for Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, who trade shots years after they were set to settle the score in the Octagon. The UFC stars were to booked to fight each other five separate times with both fighters having to withdraw due to unforeseen circumstances, the last being COVID-19 with the pandemic ultimately cancelling their fifth booking in Apr. 2020 as Nurmagomedov couldn’t get out of his home country of Russia during that time.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Reflects On Missing Out On The Ferguson Fight
Ferguson would go on to put his 12-fight win streak on the line against Justin Gaethje instead at UFC 249 that May, losing that fight by TKO and every other fight that followed, ultimately losing out on his highly-anticipated fight matchup with the undefeated Nurmagomedov as “The Eagle” retired not long after in October of that year.
“I feel a little bit sad, but same time, I always understand my game, it’s worse for him,” Nurmagomedov said of not fighting Ferguson on the Inspire Me Podcast. “He don’t have wrestling, he don’t have grappling. What he gonna do with me? How he gonna stop me, you know? Only chance how he can stop me, it was like only lucky punch, like with everybody.
“Like with Conor [McGregor], with Poirier, with Justin Gaethje. Everybody talk about like, oh, they can stop him if if Khabib gonna get [hit with] lucky punch. But other stuff, how he gonna stop him?”
Khabib Says Time Showed Who’s The Better Fighter Between Him & Ferguson
Ferguson’s overall game has been exposed with each new fight he takes, losing a total of eight times since his last booking with Nurmagomedov fell through – breaking a company record for longest losing streak. From being outstruck by Gaethje to outgrappled by Charles Oliveira, Ferguson has nearly seen it all in his 24-fight tenure in the UFC… all except the high-level wrestling of Khabib’s, which the Dagestani doesn’t think he’d stand a chance against.
“When he fight with Danny Castillo, Beneil Dariush, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, all these guys maul him,” Nurmagomedov added. “He didn’t have wrestling defense, he didn’t have grappling, like, good grappling… my fighting game, it was worst for him.
“I’m little bit sad but what we can do? If God have some plan, nobody can change this. We supposed to fight 5 times, he pull out, I have injuries like this is not under my control. I feel little bit sad but then time show who is [better], who have what level.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov talked about not facing Tony Ferguson in his career and said he's a little bit upset about it.
"I feel a little bit sad, but at the same time, I always understood that my game is tough for him. He doesn't have wrestling, he doesn't have grappling—what's he… pic.twitter.com/NpW4jDMcPs
— MMA.PROS.PICK (@MMAPROSPICK) August 26, 2024
Ferguson Responds
The former UFC interim lightweight champion would have something to say about Khabib belittling his chances against him, responding in typical Tony Ferguson fashion with a wild assortment of emojis to go along with it.
“Lucky Punch – Was Going To Leave You Alone, But Ewe Just Couldn’t Help It,” Ferguson wrote on Instagram. “Ya Phat-Phuhk. What A F’kn Pus-EE, Coward Like Chicken Keep Hiding Khabieber 29-1.”
View this post on Instagram
This is hardly the first time Tony Ferguson has posted a video poking fun at his longtime rival and if we’ve learned anything about “El Cucuy”, it surely won’t be his last.
