Khabib Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight championship against Tony Ferguson on April 18, 2020, and many details have already been ironed out and envisioned by the Nurmagomedov camp, including Khabib’s father Abdulmanap.
As great of a fight Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson is, the biggest talking point of the bout is not going to be the fascinating stylistic matchup the two present to one another or whose streak will be terminated, but rather it will be whether or not the fight will even happen, what with four cancellations already recorded for this matchup. According to Khabib’s father, the checkered past of this match booking is part of the allure that makes this a fight bigger than any that has come before it in the UFC (Via BJPenn.com):
“Because this isn’t the first attempt, I think it is one of the most important events in this sport,” Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov said in an interview with RT Sport. “It was planned four times and called off twice because of Khabib and twice because of Tony. Millions of fans are waiting for it. There’s never been anything like this in UFC history. It’s the most important fight in UFC history. It is important not only for me but for my republic, my country, and all our supporters.”
When the fight finally comes to fruition, there is a particular aspect of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s game that his father expects to surprise his opponent.
“Throughout all this time we were able to improve our skills in different aspects, especially striking technique,” Nurmagomedov continued. “We surprise [opponents] more and more each time. Javier [Mendez] promises to surprise this time but Khabib won’t stray from his father’s plan.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov last competed at UFC 242 against Dustin Poirier, where he picked up his second consecutive submission victory. As for Tony Ferguson, the latest of his string of victories came over Donald Cerrone at UFC 238.
Do you believe Khabib Nurmagomedov’s striking will surprise Tony Ferguson when the two meet in April 2020?
