A UFC 209 bout between lightweights Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson has not been made official, but that hasn’t stopped both men from trading barbs. The two got into a Twitter spat recently:
Yea? I'm Sure They Tied A Steak To U When U Were A Wee Kid So The Animals Would Play W/ Ya Too #Talk2Much pic.twitter.com/0ILpl4CHww
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) January 9, 2017
Ferguson has found himself in a bit of a contract impasse with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). “El Cucuy” wants to get equal pay if he is to agree to a bout with “The Eagle.” Nurmagomedov blasted Ferguson for not fighting under his contract.
Nurmagomedov said training is underway for a bout at UFC 209 and he was “moving on” from Ferguson. A tweet from “El Cucuy” had fans speculating that he had finally reached a deal to fight “The Eagle.” As of this writing, nothing has been set in stone.
Another jab was sent Ferguson’s way, as Nurmagomedov claimed both lightweight champion Conor McGregor and “El Cucuy” are ducking him. Ferguson didn’t back down.
Why U Mad Bro? Ah'cause U Know I'm A Much Better Fighter, U Can't Box For Shit #KeepPracticin #CantWait2PlayPunchFace pic.twitter.com/UyMycghBb5
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) January 9, 2017
The road to Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov has been a lengthy one. The two were supposed to fight back in Dec. 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. The Russian Sambo ace was forced to pull out with an injury. The fight was re-booked for April 2016 at UFC on FOX: Teixeira vs. Evans. Ferguson suffered a lung issue and Nurmagomedov went on to finish Darrell Horcher.
If these two finally go toe-to-toe before McGregor steps back inside the Octagon, it’ll likely be a title eliminator. Nurmagomedov has a perfect 24-0 record and eight of those wins have been in the UFC. Ferguson is on a nine-fight winning streak. You’ll have to go back to May 2012 to find “El Cucuy’s” last loss.
Nurmagomedov’s last fight was a dominating victory over Michael Johnson. Once the fight got to the ground, the Russian owned the Octagon and eventually forced the tap. Ferguson put on an impressive striking performance against former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos to earn a unanimous decision victory.
