text: Tony Ferguson Shaded by Khabib Nurmagomedov After Losing UFC 249 Match
  By John Newby - May 10, 2020 03:36 pm EDT
  Khabib Nurmagomedov was previously scheduled to face off with Tony Ferguson during UFC 249. However, he was forced to pull out of the event due to being trapped in Russia by the ongoing travel ban put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Nurmagomedov still watched the fanless event and fired off a brief tweet about his planned opponent, who was defeated by Justin Gaethje.
  "No comment," he wrote on Saturday after watching his replacement defeat Ferguson by TKO. Nurmagomedov also sent congratulations to the new title contender. He said that Gaethje had a "very smart fight" and that it was impressive. These comments led to questions about whether UFC President Dana White would set up a title fight between Nurmagomedov and Gaethje. Although many other fight fans just felt this was the perfect opportunity to start some arguments about title contenders.
  "You hid in the slums of Russia to duck this fight pipe down," one person commented on Saturday night. Several other UFC fans got involved in the conversation and made claims about whether or not Nurmagomedov would have been able to defeat Ferguson. None of the fans had a definitive answer, but they were worried that this fight between the two UFC stars will never happen.
  "Gaethje-Khabib and Ferguson-McGregor. These are the fights to make," one person commented on Twitter, also referring to Conor McGregor. Others agreed with this sentiment. UFC fans have been hoping for a rematch between Conor McGregor and Nurmagomedov, but it's unknown if this bout will ever take place.
  One potential option that was presented on Saturday night was to have McGregor fight Ferguson while Nurmagomedov takes on Gaethje. If the Irishman can defeat Ferguson, he would set up a title fight and a potential rematch with the reigning lightweight champion. If McGregor loses, the fans would either get to see a rematch between Ferguson and Gaethje or the long-awaited battle featuring Nurmagomedov.
  While it's unknown if Nurmagomedov will ever face off in the octagon with Gaethje, he did provide hope for an upcoming bout. The reigning lightweight champion posted a response video on Twitter saying he just needs the location for the fight.