Since retiring from the UFC in 2020, former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has actively pursued a coaching career alongside American kickboxing head coach Javier Mendez, having cornered and coached current UFC champions Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad, Umar Nurmagomedov, and others. Now, many fans want this list of Khabib’s students to include another name: Tony Ferguson, who has just edged out BJ Penn in breaking the record for the most consecutive defeats in UFC history.

Naturally, Ferguson, considering the fact that he is on an eight-fight losing streak, is facing immense pressure from UFC CEO Dana White, who previously stated that the Michael Chiesa fight could be his last, win or lose. On the flip side, despite his 1st-round loss by submission to Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi, Ferguson is still all in, too far away from throwing both of his gloves down. His spirited self was evident in the post-fight interview,

“Felt super slow going in… I felt sick. I threw up probably like three or four times being nervous as f**k. But I usually don’t get nervous. But, at the back, I was like yaking or dry heaving, which is kinda funny. You know how it works. But this is the only sport that makes me do that.”

Following his defeat to Michael Chiesa, Ferguson hinted at retirement by leaving one glove in the octagon. However, he also took the other glove with him, suggesting a potential change of heart. Still awaiting confirmation of his retirement news, the media questions steered well into how Ferguson wanted the next phase of his professional life to look. This one question certainly piqued his interest when the reporter asked, “Would you consider traveling more and performing in different countries because you saw how fans love you abroad and countries you’ve never been to before?”

Eager to space this losing streak, Tony Ferguson hinted at a potential shift in focus towards the Russian fanbase in the post-fight interview at Abu Dhabi. Smiling ear-to-ear, he said, “Yeah, absolutely. This is something that I love. I think that it’s hard because I’ve been only in Mexica and Canada only twice because of wrestling. I think it’s f**king awesome.” In fact, he went as far as wishing to bring his family along too. The reported further nudged, “You know you have a lot of fans in Russia.”

Ferguson was quick to respond, “You Know, I love Russian fans. We’ve gone back and forth since Khabib and I first signed on the dotted line. It’s been crazy with the fans in Russia, but I’m gonna be real. I am kind of learning Russian right now. That’s one of my favorite things to do, and it is to learn another language. And Russian will be my first one.”

Meanwhile, his long-lasting rival Khabib Nurmagomedov was among the first to wish him a happy retirement after this gesture, “It is not a surprise for me because he is 40 years old. I just want to wish him all the best.

“He is truly one of the best [to ever do it] in the UFC. I just want to wish him all the best, and his life is just beginning, it’s what I think, because he is just 40 years old. He just finished his MMA career, now it’s going to be a different life. A much better life.”

A post by the ‘RED CORNER MMA’ Instagram page garnered attention from UFC and Tony Ferguson’s followers, flooding the comment section with suggestions for Ferguson to train with UFC Hall of Famer if he wanted to make a comeback. Despite the most anticipated fight of the last decade between rivals Nurmagomedov and Ferguson never materialized after five failed attempts, fans are now busy reimagining the duo in a fresh and interesting dynamic.

Fans assign Nurmagomedov to convert their unfinished rivalry into a poetic end for Ferguson

Khabib Nurmagomedov and his camp have always welcomed MMA athletes to train with them. For example, earlier this year, Belal Muhammad, who was preparing for a welterweight title shot, went to Dagestan to train with Khabib’s team. As a result, he significantly improved his grappling game and won the fight with flying colors. A fan echoed this sentiment, commenting, “Tony should train with Khabib,” which was supported by another fan who commented, “really hope Tony and Khabib have some good exchange and train together, imagine Khabib trains Tony for his last fight and he wins.”

Just imagine the competitors of the greatest lightweight fight that never happened training together. If Nurmagomedov actually trained Ferguson to ride off into the sunset with a win it would be a fairytale ending to their rivalry that few would have seen coming. But alas, that might be outside the realm of possibility. After Ferguson’s fateful loss at UFC 249, Khabib rightfully predicted ‘Tony time’ was over. The reason? A fighter cannot be at the same level forever. And the Russian believed that Ferguson would never come back from the beating he took from Justin Gaethje. It’s an eerily accurate prophecy in hindsight.

This fan too had a similar opinion, “Tony’s last hope. train under Khabib.” Another fan appreciated Ferguson’s character, commenting, “Tony is such a champion even if he never got the belt what a cool guy.”

Further, some fans emphasized Tony Ferguson’s age, now 40 years old, commenting, “Dam Tony looks old.” Nurmagomedov is one of the most realistic coaches in the game. So, there is a high chance he might turn down an opportunity to coach a far-beyond-his-prime Ferguson if it ever came to that. With the respect he has shown Tony in recent years, he might not be in favor of sending the battle-worn veteran into the fray once again.

Another fan, impressed by Ferguson’s speaking ability advised him to follow the path of Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, starting his own podcast after retirement, saying, “Tony Should start his own podcast.”

What are your thoughts on Tony Ferguson’s current situation? Should he go to Dagestan and train with Khabib Nurmagomedov, or should he figure it out himself? Comment your thoughts below.