Even though the chances of them facing each other in the cage is zero, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson seem completely unable—or unwilling—to let their rivalry dissipate.
Both men have shown that they just can’t help themselves when it comes to talking about the other online. Former UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov has gone even further than that, committing parts of his memoir to Ferguson. In that book he called El Cucy ‘pure dirt’ and railed against what he called a ‘mediocre upbringing’.
Today Nurmagomedov announced that he was “not gonna go low and personal” with regards to Ferguson. In that same message Nurmagomedov laid out how Ferguson had struggled inside the Octagon over the past few years.
For the last three years Tony Ferguson you never won a single round in the @ufc some of the rounds you lost 10:8. Since 2015 you won only one fighter from top 15.
Tony, it’s a clear picture here, I’m not gonna go low and personal, not gonna insult you. It’s just a facts.— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) November 12, 2021
“For the last three years Tony Ferguson you never won a single round in the UFC,” he wrote. “Some of the rounds you lost 10:8. Since 2015 you won only one fighter from top 15. Tony, it’s clear picture here, I’m not gonna go low and personal, not gonna insult you. It’s just facts.”
Ferguson’s last fight was against Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 in May. He lost that bout by unanimous decision with each judge scoring the contest 30-27. Prior to that, at UFC 256 last December, he lost a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira with three scores of 30-26. Prior to that bout Ferguson was TKO’d by Justin Gaethje, at UFC 249 in May 2020.
The official scorecards from the Gaethje bout show that Ferguson won the second round of that contest. However he lost all the others that were completed. Oddly, the judges also scored the fifth round for that fight, the round in which Ferguson was TKO’d. The judges scored that round 10-7, 10-8, and 10-8 for Gaethje.
Ferguson’s last win was a TKO over Donald Cerrone in June, 2019. That win was the last in a 12-fight win streak that included victories over Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis.
Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been matched up on multiple occasions. However, the MMA Gods never sanctioned the bout. The fight fell through for a myriad of reasons, including a tiramisu, camera cables and a global pandemic.
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