We’re two weekends away from UFC 254, and the card’s already shaken up a few times. One fight taken off the list was the lightweight pairing between former champion Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev.
With dos Anjos out due to a positive COVID test, Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz offered that newly-opened spot to Tony Ferguson. And to sweeten the pot, he added a $100K/$100K deal for “El Cucuy” to take, with filled out checks to boot. Ferguson rejected the offer after deciding not to take a “bribe” from a “lowlife.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov also spoke about the said deal saying it would be too good for Ferguson to pass up, especially with Abdelaziz and the UFC possibly involved. UFC president Dana White, however, denied all of that in a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole.
“Hey, Ali can pump up everybody’s paycheck if he wants to,” White said with a laugh. “It’s good to be rich. That Khabib money.
“We wouldn’t let Ali put up the money. We wouldn’t let that happen,” he added.”
White and the UFC aren’t looking to find a replacement opponent for Makhachev and will instead yank him off the card.
UFC 254 happens on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi.
About the author
