Tony Ferguson Is the Only Fighter With a Chance to Beat Khabib Nurmagomedov
Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut, he’s been dominating everyone that’s been in his way. From high-level strikers like Edson Barboza to former champions like Conor McGregor, Nurmagomedov’s made easy work of them all. However, he hasn’t fought Tony Ferguson yet, and Ferguson stands the best chance to beat Nurmagomedov.
The fabled fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov
A fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson has been on the UFC’s radar for years. Back when both men were still climbing up the ranks, nobody could stop either of them. In 2015, the UFC wanted to see which man was the better fighter, and set them up for a fight. However, Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury.
The UFC rescheduled the fight for the next year, but this time, Ferguson pulled out due to an injury. By 2017, both men had beaten many other contenders, so the UFC tried to schedule the two to fight each other once again.
Unfortunately, days before the fight, Nurmagomedov pulled out due to health issues with his weight cut. Many fans joking blamed some tiramisu that Nurmagomedov ate for causing this problem.
In 2018, both men were still dominating their opponents. The UFC once again tried to set up a fight for them, and the day before the fight was supposed to take place, Ferguson tripped on a wire and injured his knee. This forced him to pull out of the fight, thus delaying the fight once again. In 2019, a fight between the two men was never inked because Ferguson was dealing with some personal issues.
However, Ferguson has since dealt with those issues. Now, many people, including Ferguson and Nurmagomedov, expect that this fight will finally happen in 2020.
Who is Tony Ferguson?
The main reason why this fight has been something that both the fans and the UFC have been dying to see happen is that both men are simply dominating everyone. Ferguson has fought 28 times in his career, and he’s only lost 3 times. Only one of those losses was in the UFC. Nurmagomedov in comparison, is 28-0.
That said, Ferguson is on a 12 fight win streak. He hasn’t lost a fight since 2012, and he lost that fight by decision. In his UFC career, Ferguson has beaten many highly-skilled fighters, including several men that Nurmagomedov had also beaten. Ferguson also won the interim lightweight title once, but he was stripped of that title after he tripped over the wire and injured himself.
In terms of his style, Ferguson has a fighting style that’s as strange as himself. Ferguson is known for his unorthodox training routine, including hitting steel bars with his elbows and knees. In a fight, he’s a great Muay Thai fighter, but he’s also a great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist, too.
He’s also extremely tough and he has cardio for days. But most importantly, he mixes things up and he’ll keep his opponents guessing. This will be his key to beating Nurmagomedov.
Why Tony Ferguson can beat Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov has faced some jiu-jitsu black belts before, but he’s never faced a man as creative as Tony Ferguson. Ferguson’s strange fighting style will keep Nurmagomedov guessing, and if Ferguson plays his cards right, he may be able to lock in a submission.
Although Nurmagomedov is a great wrestler, he’s also been adding boxing into his skillset. However, Ferguson is also a great striker, and he’s also known for throwing some crafty combinations. If Ferguson can do something so weird and unexpected that he catches Nurmagomedov off guard, then Ferguson may win by knockout, too.
On top of that, Ferguson has some insane cardio. Nurmagomedov’s cardio is also pretty good, but fans think that Ferguson’s cardio is on another level. In fact, Ferguson fought for 25 minutes in Mexico City. Remember, Mexico City is at a higher elevation than normal, so many fighters will run out of breath sooner. Ferguson however, was able to maintain his fast pace for the whole fight.
Of course, we won’t know who will win until the two men fight, but Ferguson will definitely be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s biggest challenge. If the two men can actually meet each other inside the octagon, that is.
