Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his longtime rival Tony Ferguson is one of the best fighters to ever compete inside the Octagon.
Ferguson – who was once on a 12-fight winning run – suffered his eighth consecutive defeat at UFC Abu Dhabi, where he was submitted by Michael Chiesa in the first round. After the fight, ‘El Cucuy’ hinted at retirement by leaving one glove inside the cage, but he later said that he still wants to compete in the UFC.
In his prime, Ferguson was regarded as one of the top two lightweights in the world, alongside Khabib. However, despite being scheduled to fight five times, they never met in the Octagon due to various cancellations.
While Khabib isn’t surprised by Ferguson’s career trajectory, it doesn’t diminish the former interim lightweight champ’s status as one of the greatest fighters in the sport.
“It’s not a surprise for me because he’s 40 years old,” Khabib Nurmagomedov told UFC Europe. “I just want to wish him all the best. He’s truly one of the best who ever was doing it in the UFC. I just want to wish him all the best. His life is just beginning, because he’s just 40 years old and he just finished his MMA career. Now it’s going to be a different life, a much better life.
“In my prime and his prime, it’s supposed to be a very interesting fight. But what can I do? He had a couple of injuries, I had a couple of injuries. It is what it is. Sometimes we have plans, but God has his plan and we cannot control this.”
Should Tony Ferguson retire?
