Tony Ferguson still has an axe to grind with long-term rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, this time taking aim at his management team.
Forever tied to the Russian icon, Tony Ferguson will make his first outing in combat sports outside the UFC since 2011, as he competes in pro boxing for the first time.
And failing to make good on a grudge fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov before his infamous 2021 retirement, Ferguson has long held the belief he was the one to defeat the unbeaten Russian star.
Reflecting on their multiple failed meetings in the past, Ferguson claims it was likely a good thing he never got the chance to battle the Hall of Fame star during their respective Octagon tenures.
Tony Ferguson claims Ali Abdelaziz was “smart” to keep Khabib Nurmagomedov from him
Sharing a distinct rivalry with prominent sport manager Ali Abdelaziz, too, Ferguson departed the promotion in the midst of a UFC-worst eight-fight losing streak.
And failing to share the Octagon with Nurmagomedov — as well as another long-time foe, Conor McGregor, during that time, Ferguson believes it’s lucky for them he didn’t.
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“Khabib (Nurmagomedov) is too busy stuffing his face with tiramisu and s—,” Tony Ferguson told Dublin Live.
“So, I mean, like their guys and their family and their managers were smart enough to be able to be like, ‘You don’t want to fight this guy.'”
But despite Ferguson’s latest tirade against Nurmagomedov, the Dagestan star believes he would have been in danger if they actually fought.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals how Tony Ferguson could’ve beaten him
Staggeringly, Nurmagomedov and former interim lightweight champion Ferguson were slated to fight on five separate occasions during their respective Octagon runs.
But due to injury, illness, and even travel restrictions, the duo failed to ever fight.
And while reflecting on their infamous rivalry, Nurmagomedov claimed there was only one possible scenario in which the esteemed Ferguson could have defeated him — albeit unlikely.
“He (Ferguson) don’t have wrestling. He don’t have grappling,” Nurmagomedov told the Inspire Me podcast last year.
“What’s he going to do with me? How is he going to stop me? Only chance how he can stop me, it was only a lucky punch.