Some rivalries might never end and will probably linger forever in MMA. Beloved UFC stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson recently got into an online spat. The former UFC rivals have shared a love-hate relationship for some time now. However, amidst this newfound animosity, Nurmagomedov has simple advice for ‘El Cucuy.’
All this started when Khabib Nurmagomedov dismissed the idea of Tony Ferguson potentially beating him in their primes. The California native didn’t take that lightly and replied by roasting Nurmagomedov in a social media post. This prompted Nurmagomedov to settle the beef, as he commented in an old X post of Ferguson.
You know what’s interesting, i didn’t say anything about you, people just post whatever they want on the internet and write that it’s Khabib. Enjoy your life and your family, leave this sport for the young fighters.
Khabib Nurmagomedov via X
Four years ago, Khabib Nurmagomedov had predicted the downfall of Ferguson. As it turned out, he was absolutely right, and Ferguson is currently on an eight-fight losing streak. After his last fight, the American fighter announced his semi-retirement. Nurmagomedov heard the news and shared a wholesome message for his rival.
You know what’s interesting, i didn’t say anything about you, people just post whatever they want on the internet and write that it’s Khabib. Enjoy your life and your family, leave this sport for the young fighters.
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) August 29, 2024
It looked like both the legends had buried their past only to indulge in an X feud weeks later. According to Nurmagomedov, his style of fighting is the worst matchup for a striker like Ferguson. It seems like Ferguson didn’t like this comment as he had some big plans to beat the ‘The Eagle’ back in 2020.
What was Tony Ferguson’s plan to beat Khabib Nurmagomedov?
The fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov is labeled ‘cursed’ as it was canceled five times. In 2015, Nurmagomedov injured his ribs, and his weight-cut issues became a problem in 2017. From Ferguson’s side, the 2016 bout was canceled due to a lung issue, and an ill-timed knee injury halted the 2018 fight.
Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (via MMA Fighting)The last fight was scrapped after Nurmagomedov failed to travel due to the COVID situation. Despite being one of the most anticipated matchups in MMA history, fans never saw the fight. While discussing how the fight would have ended, Ferguson had a very different perspective from Khabib Nurmagomedov. According to the veteran, he had an interesting strategy for the Dagestani.
I was gonna take, they call it ippon. You drop a guy from his feet to his back. I was gonna take him to that and beat him in his own game and then beat the f**** out of him and then make him quit.
Tony Ferguson via JAXXON Podcast
Khabib Nurmagomedov was renowned for his amazing ground and pound, submission skills, and pressure. The Dagestani legend had five submission wins in the UFC. Meanwhile, prime Tony Ferguson had six submission wins. To see how this might have played out would have been interesting. Unfortunately, despite the constant back and forth, the fight never happened and won’t ever happen.
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