“He’s Running Like a Dog With His Tail Between His Legs” – Tony Ferguson on Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was what every UFC fan was waiting for the past few months. However, the fight couldn’t take place because of a multitude of reasons. The very first one being that one half of the main event, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was stuck in Russia.

One can argue that Khabib had to take care of his family which was still in Dagestan. After all, we are in between a pandemic. The pace at which things change every day makes it very hard to predict what will happen next.

Amidst such uncertainty, Tony Ferguson knew what he had to do: make weight for a fight that isn’t going to happen. “El Cucuy” made the Lightweight title fight limit of 155 pounds. After doing so he had a conversation with Ariel Helwani where he accused his former scheduled opponent of running away.

Helwani asked whether Ferguson wanted the fight with Justin Gaethje, who was brought in as a replacement for Khabib, to be made for the 155-pounds belt. The veteran journalist put forth this question as Ferguson wanted Khabib to be stripped of the title.

“I think he (Khabib) knows. It’s not about the UFC knowing, it’s about Khabib knowing. That dude basically did that s***. He’s running like a dog with his tail between his legs,” said Tony.

However, if you thought Tony was acting apathetic given the circumstances, then his next statement may change your mind.

“But there’s a lot of things going on in the world. So I hope he’s safe and he’s being happy with his family. I really hope he’s training. Not just going over there and talking shit. Nothing bad towards his family. No bad love for anybody man. It’s always hands up shin down. It’s a doggy-dog world and I’m fighting for my meal ticket.”

Tony Ferguson explains why he made weight for a fight that’s not happening

When a fight falls through, the fighters involved in it are under no obligation to make weight. But it seems no one told Tony Ferguson the same. He went through the entire process methodically and made weight.

The obvious question that comes to mind is why Ferguson went through the taxing process. He told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that it was a commitment that he made to himself.

“It wasn’t just for me, man,” Tony said. “It was for my team. And my sponsors and obviously my family. It was just a commitment to myself to follow through with my weight cut. We were supposed to have a fight here. Obviously Khabib didn’t make the fight. Justin Gaethje filled in. To me, it just made f****** sense, man. It is what it is.”

UFC is planning to pull off the event on May 9th. However, Ferguson cleared he hasn’t signed the agreement for it yet. Meanwhile, Khabib has announced that he is looking for to return to action in September.