“Heads Up Tony!”- Khabib Nurmagomedov Sends Tony Ferguson a Message After UFC 249

MMA as a sport is undeniably one of the most violent sports in the world. The job profile includes calling other fighters out and a ton of trash talk. However, it is unsurprising to see fighters coming together to support their rivals on the heels of a loss. Which is what UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov recently did for Tony Ferguson.

Tony Ferguson recently took on Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 with an interim title at stake. Gaethje emerged triumphant against El Cucuy via TKO in the final round. Many feel the stoppage was a mercy considering the punishment that Gaethje was doling out on Ferguson.

Originally slated to take on Khabib himself, Ferguson had to settle for Gaethje, as the reigning champion was unable to leave Russia due to stringent laws against travel.

Long-time foes, the animosity between Khabib and Ferguson has been on a steady rise during the past month. Since the untimely crash of their match-up on April 18th, verbal jabs have been going back and forth between the two lightweights.

However, it seems like Khabib is willing to let their tense history go. Following Ferguson’s loss, The Eagle took to Twitter to send him a message as a display of sportsmanship and respect.

“Whatever happened is in the past. Heads up Tony, I hope everything is good with you and your family. When your son grow up, he’ll be proud with you. @TonyFergusonXT“ said Khabib 

The aftermath of UFC 249 for Tony Ferguson

The former interim champion absorbed almost 100 significant strikes to the head over the span of more than 20 minutes. Despite losing the fight to Justin Gaethje, Ferguson left fans and MMA pundits all over the world surprised with his durability and surprisingly sturdy chin.

The loss marks a huge blow for Ferguson’s fans who were dying to watch their hero take on the undefeated lightweight champion. However, this loss has cemented their doubts about this matchup being cursed.

After the fight, Gaethje was handed the belt, but to everyone’s surprise, Gaethje dumped it. The Highlight couldn’t care less about the interim title, for he is hungry for ‘the real one’.

This win against Ferguson sets The Highlight on a collision course to Khabib. The UFC has not opened up about the title fight between Gaethje and Nurmagomedov. However, it will not be taking place until a significant amount of time has passed following the end of Ramadan.

Do you think Gaethje can overthrow Khabib to become the next UFC Lightweight champion?