Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson is the fight that has already been delayed three times. You can’t even imagine how much these two barely wait to fight. One thing is certain after Wednesday’s UFC 223 conference call – there is no love between these two, even after all these years.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson is expected to be an excellent showdown, and it is scheduled for April 7th. The co-main event is the rematch between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The undefeated Dagestani and the reigning interim UFC Lightweight champion monopolized the conversation and started accusing each other.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson conference call showdown started right after the first question. Both of them were constantly interrupting each other in a chaotic affair. (via MMAFighting.com)
“It’s going to be a big fight,” Nurmagomedov began the call. “We were supposed to fight in 2015, we were supposed to fight in 2016, ‘17. Now it’s ’18 and I hope we’re going to fight, finally we’re going to fight, because this is the most important fight in the lightweight division right now. Fight for real belt, very big show in Brooklyn. I’m very excited about this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, man. I got the belt,” Ferguson interjected. “I’ve got the belt already, that’s where you’re wrong, dog. I got the belt. This is my belt.”
“Hey, calm down,” Nurmagomedov shot back. “Can I finish?”
“No, you’re talking about some bullsh*t, kid. You had your chance to fight for that belt and you missed it,” Ferguson said. “You missed weight.”
“I’m going to talk, finish, and after you can talk,” responded Nurmagomedov.
“No, you know what, you started it and you never finished it,” Ferguson replied. “You guys punked out like p*ssies and now I’m right here. You’re gonna face the boogeyman. I’m giving you one chance to quit, to walk away and f*cking retire. That’s all you got.”
“To be honest, I didn’t understand your English,” Nurmagomedov said. “You talk like stupid guy.”
From there, the conversation became heated. Every question led to very long responses and arguments. No matter whether the topics were related to the old fights, Khabib’s unbeaten record, Ferguson’s interim belt… Nothing was off limits, and you could hear interruption after interruption. From this point, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson showdown shifts to the fifth gear.
“Let’s talk about numbers,” Nurmagomedov said at one point. “All my life, nobody make me tap. Nobody. In amateur, training, doesn’t matter — never. Never I’m tired, never make me tap. Never. What are you talking about? About my conditioning? Please calm down.”
“Your conditioning sucks and, dude, you have half a pound to lose,” Ferguson cut in. “You’ve never made championship weight. You have a half a pound more to lose. You know what, I hope to God your sh*t’s under condition, man, because if you mess this up, you’re gonna have the whole world hating on you, doggy.”
“Are you finished?” Nurmagomedov asked.
“Nope, I’m never finished. Wait ‘til you taste my jab. I’m gonna make you taste nickels and dimes, son,” Ferguson said.
Khabib Nurmagomedov had weight issues at UFC 209, and Tony Ferguson was constantly repeating his failed weight cut, which affected seriously on the event. UFC favoritism became a hot topic soon after.
“You’re f*cking terrible,” Ferguson said at one point. “Wait ‘til you test my conditioning, dog. I’m gonna take you in deep waters. I’m gonna leave you out there with no f*cking snorkel.”
“What happened with your conditioning when you fight Danny Castillo?” Nurmagomedov asked.
“I was worried about jiu-jitsu,” Ferguson replied. “I was probably like, what, a blue belt? Get out of here. I’d like to test that. What about you, huh? You blew your wad the last fight. You went three rounds your last fight. You couldn’t even finish Edson Barboza. I finished him in the second round. Bullsh*tting me.”
“I no need finishes,” Nurmagomedov said. “Why I need finishes? Why? I’m fine when I go cage, like, relax, take my time, talk with Dana about future, how we gonna smash your face. It’s okay, we already have plan with Dana. That’s why he talk about Khabib time all the time and you’re jealous. You’re jealous.”
“Dana likes me better, you hate that. Because I’m a real fighter, dog. I show up. I make weight. I’m a professional,” Ferguson said after a similar claim earlier in the call.
“Who real fighter? You real fighter? You, seven times somebody give you knockdown in your UFC career. Seven times, you go down,” Nurmagomedov responded. “I’m gonna knock you out, you understand? I’m going to knock you out your face.”
“That’s cool. I hope you try to box me. That’s why I’m gonna take your ass down,” Ferguson said. “Straight up, I’m gonna f*cking break your ankles.”
“Hey, nobody understand your English, bro. Calm down, please. Relax,” Nurmagomedov said. “Why you nervous? Why? We’re just talking. You’re nervous, you speak like stupid guy.”
“I can smell it through that phone, kid,” Ferguson shot back. “That’s all I smell: Fear. I smell it on you. You reek of it.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson is scheduled as UFC 223’s main event, and it should decide who is currently the best UFC Lightweight fighter in the world. Strangely, both fighters agreed that Conor McGregor is not a part of the discussion. Khabib Nurmagomedov started accusing Tony Ferguson that he is not a real champ.
“I think everybody believe this,” Nurmagomedov said.
“That’s right, tell ‘em. I’m the f*cking champ,” Ferguson quickly responded.
“No, you interim champ. Be humble, bro. You interim champ,” Nurmagomedov repiled. “Be humble, boy. You interim champ, you not official champ. You still interim. … You have fake belt. Tony, you have fake belt. Sell it. Sell it and make some money.”
“Fake belt? That sh*t looks real to me. It’s shiny,” Ferguson said. “You’ve got the fake belt because everybody hands ‘em to you. All those belts that you’ve got, and people floating your boat and this Reebok sponsorships, that’s the sh*t I don’t give a f*ck about. And that’s one thing that you’ve got me wrong.”
“Now you talk about Reebok, hey? Because these guys don’t give you contract and now you jealous too? I can ask Reebok to give you contract if you want,” Nurmagomedov said, chuckling. “Tony, Reebok, they make very good shoe now. We can order you one. What size you have? What size you have, please? Need to know. Like nine, 10? I can order for you. … They can make you shoes, put like ‘Interim Lightweight Champ, Tony Ferguson.’ You want this?”
“I’m in a good place right now,” Ferguson said. “And you’re putting me in a better place every time you open your mouth.”
UFC 223 will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. What do you think, will Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson fight be held at all? Maybe Khabib plans weight issue surprise again, who knows.
