LAS VEGAS – Although they are arguably the two best lightweight fighters in the world, Tony Ferguson said his rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t be one that stretches out over several fights during their respective careers.
Ferguson (22-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who meets Nurmagomedov (24-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) for the interim UFC lightweight championship on Saturday at UFC 209, said he expects his octagon engagement with “The Eagle” to be a one-and-done, mainly because of the way in which the bout will unfold.
“(Expletive) no (there won’t ever be a rematch),” Ferguson told reporters at today’s UFC 209 open workouts. “Not after I finish him the way I’m going to finish him. It’s different. I’m going to slice and dice him. With the new rules as far as the UFC goes, he’s got something else coming for him. I’m keeping these (elbows) sharp like medal graters. There’s sparks flying, baby.”
UFC 209 takes place at T-Mobile Arena. Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov co-headlines the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
The history between the pair of interim title competitors stretches out over more than a year. They were originally scheduled to clash at “The Ultimate Fighter 22” finale in December 2015, but unfortunately Nurmagomedov was forced to withdraw from the contest because of injury.
They were again scheduled to fight at UFC on FOX 19 in April 2016, but then it was Ferguson who pulled out of the fight because of injury. It appears it’s finally going to happen at UFC 209, and while there’s been countless words exchanged in the multiple build-ups to the fight, Ferguson said his feelings toward his opponent aren’t wholly negative.
“You can love somebody without liking them,” Ferguson said. “I love Khabib, man. He’s my brother in arms. We’re all here, we’re all for one. I got peace with him, but inside there we got beef. We got to squash this (expletive). I’m tired of him, man. He’s a bully, and I’m going to shut him up, but I got respect for him, his father and his whole camp.”
Ferguson, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, enters UFC 209 on a divisional best nine-fight UFC winning streak. No. 2-ranked Nurmagomedov has won seven straight at 155 pounds, but also is 24-0 overall. The winner will be crowned interim champion and likely move on to face Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) at some point in the future.
Although McGregor is arguably the biggest star in the sport, both Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have largely brushed off discussion about “The Notorious” ahead of their upcoming fight. Both agree UFC 209 will be the true determination of the top lightweight in the world, though, and Ferguson said whether McGregor wants to come back and try to take that label away is entirely his own decision.
“I gave Conor pass – I’ll keep reiterating that – he got a pass from me,” Ferguson said. “I told him, ‘Go spend some of that money, do what you’re going to do, enjoy that kid because, trust me, I work my ass off for this. I don’t talk the talk, I walk the (expetive) walk.’ So as far as Conor goes and the belt, that dude is so far out there that I hope he brings his head back to the real fight where we’re at.
“So this belt, I consider it the real belt regardless of if it’s interim or not. If I can hold it, and I can feel it and it’s shiny as (expletive), it’s real enough for me.”
Watch Ferguson’s complete UFC 209 open workout scrum above.