Tony Ferguson claims that Khabib Nurmagomedov intentionally sat out their scheduled UFC 209 bout in 2017.
Ferguson (25-10) and Nurmagomedov (29-0) share one of the most intriguing rivalries never concluded inside the Octagon in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were originally scheduled to meet in the final bout of The Ultimate Fighter’s 22nd season in December 2015, but “The Eagle” withdrew due to a rib injury.
The two were re-booked for a UFC on Fox event in February 2016, but Ferguson was forced to withdraw due to lung problems. After overcoming several complications, the promotion booked them back together for a third co-main event at UFC 209 on March 4, 2017, this time with the interim lightweight title on the line.
However, Nurmagomedov withdrew shortly before the weigh-in due to weight issues.
Dana White slammed Nurmagomedov’s team for not turning to the UFC to address the issue, but Ferguson was more sympathetic.
“@TeamKhabib Hope you’re feeling better Khabib. I really hope you recover. Get better soon. #Road2Gold #TonyFergusonMMA #UFC209 @ufc @danawhite,” Ferguson wrote on Twitter (now known as the X-Platform).
However, Ferguson recently changed his tune and accused Nurmagomedov of intentionally withdrawing from the bout. According to Ferguson, the Russian trainer had a worried look on his face when he saw “El Cucuy” practicing his boxing the day before the UFC 209 weigh-in. Ferguson didn’t think it was a big deal at the time, but the fight with Nurmagomedov was canceled the next day. When Ferguson later saw the same worried-looking Russian trainer with Nurmagomedov’s longtime coach, Javier Mendez, the dots were connected. Ferguson believes the trainer had seen Nurmagomedov boxing and advised him to withdraw from the bout.
“That night, I was training, I was doing speedbags and stuff,” the 40-year-old said on Jackson’s podcast. “Then I went to another boxing spot and I met this Russian champion boxer, who was really fat, and I got introduced and everyone was really calm. But the only person there who wasn’t smiling was another trainer who was watching my boxing training. I was in good shape, I was focused, I was cutting weight. So the only person in that room who wasn’t smiling was the trainer, who I didn’t know, and I shook his hand.”
“I went to sleep. The next morning I made weight… Then I heard Khabib went to the hospital. What ended up happening was a few fights later, I can’t remember which fight it was, but I met with that damn trainer in AKA’s corner with Javier Mendez. That bitch called Khabib and said, ‘Dude, this kid’s doing so well right now.'”
The Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson bout has since been canceled twice, first because “El Cucuy” needed surgery and then because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurmagomedov ultimately wrote off the matchup after a fifth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in 2020, ending Ferguson’s illustrious 12-fight winning streak. Nurmagomedov predicted that no fighter could ever get as beaten up as Ferguson and bounce back, and it seems Gaethje and “The Eagle” couldn’t have been more accurate. Ferguson has since lost six more straight bouts, most recently a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 in December 2023. Ferguson will face Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi on August 3, but regardless of the outcome, Dana White expects it to be the former interim lightweight champion’s final step into the Octagon.
