Tony Ferguson is out to give Khabib Nurmagomedov the first defeat of his mixed martial arts career when they collide in a lightweight title clash on April 2020.
In what could be the biggest MMA fight next year, Ferguson will challenge Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound strap in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York.
The lightweight pair has been scheduled to fight in four different occasions in the past but it never materialized due to injuries and health issues.
Ferguson and Nurmagomedov are tied for the most active winning streak in the lightweight division.
Both fighters have been undefeated in the past 12 UFC outings, with ‘El Cucuy’ most recently defeating Donald Cerrone via TKO.
The defending champ, meanwhile, has unified the lightweight titles in his most recent fight against Dustin Poirier.
Oozing with confidence going into this fight, Ferguson believes he is the man to give Khabib his first loss ever.
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No Changes
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on his MMA show, the former interim lightweight champ said the preparation for this fight would be as intense as usual.
“I don’t change anything. I’m always peaking,” he told Helwani on Monday.
“I rest hard, I party hard, and I play hard. That’s exactly how I’ve been doing it for a very long time, and nothing’s going to change.”
“The only things I’m going to change are for me and for my team, and nobody else is going to know.”
“I handled Thibault a lot better than the way Khabib did.”
“I’m not going to give any spoilers, but I will say, though, Khabib is very beatable.”
Four months away from the title fight, ‘El Cucuy’ said he is already in the head of the reigning champion.
“He’s going to go through the holidays and he’s going to be wondering about me. I’m going to be in his head again.”
“He’s going to have a lot on his plate, and I think they got a little too arrogant with the way they handled things.”
Hunting Season
Ferguson, then, sent a warning to Nurmagomedov, saying he will force him to commit mistakes in their upcoming fight.
“I told everybody I’m going to make him piss blood. I said that a while ago.”
“This guy has got an issue and his name is Tony Ferguson and I’m coming after him. It’s hunting season, baby.”
“I’m in this dude’s head. He’s going to train so hard and he’s going to be so nervous that he’s going to make a mistake.”
“I’m going to capitalize on that. I’m going to catch him during the scramble.”
Will Tony Ferguson beat Khabib Nurmagomedov? What do you think of his chances against the defending champion?
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(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Khabib Nurmagomedov and YouTube/ MMA Junkie)