Tony Ferguson did not hold back when he criticized Khabib Nurmagomedov for staying in Russia, which led to the cancelation of their highly-anticipated title fight.
The American fighter was scheduled to challenge the Russian champion at the original UFC 249 fight card last month in what many dubbed as the most anticipated fight in UFC history.
But due to the global pandemic, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the fight as he was stuck in his home country, forcing the UFC to replace him with the fourth-ranked lightweight, Justin Gaethje.
Ahead of the revamped UFC 249, Ferguson declared his showdown with Gaethje as the ‘real championship’ bout while urging his lightweight rivals, Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor to retire from the sport.
Then on Saturday, the unexpected happened as Ferguson found no answer to Gaethje’s stand-up game en route to a stunning fifth-round technical knockout victory for the former World Series of Fighting champion.
The loss snapped Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak – the longest in the UFC lightweight history. Worse, it could be the final nail in the coffin for his rivalry with Khabib.
Heads Up
In the wake of Ferguson’s TKO loss, the defending lightweight titlist refused to kick his rival when he’s down and ,instead, offered him a message of support.
“Whatever happened is in the past. Heads up Tony, I hope everything is good with you and your family,” Khabib posted on Twitter.
“When your son grow up, he’ll be proud with you,” he added.
Hungry Lions
In a separate tweet, Nurmagomedov shared his thoughts on Gaethje pulling off a massive upset against the number one lightweight contender.
Khabib said: “In this sport, and especially in this weight, there will always be hungry lions that will breathe in your back, if you relax, then you will end.”
Some leave and others come, there is nothing to be surprised. But I won’t fall before the shot. We will still fight.”
The American Kickboxing Academy standout remains undefeated in his professional career, winning all 28 fights including 12 straight victories in the UFC, tying Ferguson for the longest win streak.
He is coming off a third round submission of Dustin Poirier, when they headlined UFC 242 fight card in Saudi Arabia last year. He is expected to return this September and will likely face Gaethje in a unification bout.
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov)