
2 Jan, 2022 14:15

Khabib taunts ex-UFC rival after bizarre weight dig

UFC great Khabib Nurmagomedov has produced a short and sharp response to Tony Ferguson after the man he almost fought five times tried to troll him
Khabib taunts ex-UFC rival after bizarre weight dig

UFC fighter Tony Ferguson has been told that he is a serial loser in a stinging response after he tried to engage in a near-unintelligible war of words with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In their lightweight pomp in the UFC, the pair were meant to meet a number of times before injuries and other issues deprived fans of a potentially classic bout in the 155lbs division.

With Khabib retiring on 29-0 in 2020 and Ferguson losing his three most recent matches in the space of little more than a year to the likes of contenders Justin Gaethje and Beneil Dariush and current champion Charles Oliveira, 'El Cucy' is on the verge of being cut by the elite promotion's president, Dana White.

The near-impossibility of the two men facing off in the octagon has not stopped them from continuing to take potshots at one another and maintaining a long-standing feud.

Approaching the end of 2021, Ferguson share a video on social media of Spiderman dancing on the New York Subway and wrote: "Pump, pump it up. Pretty sure old fathead got in his fix for the good stuff [food].

"Doesn't he know that sh*t will go straight to his hips? So fat he had to make a new weight class. What a maroon," the 37-year-old finished.

Ferguson's weight division comment doesn't quite make sense, as Nurmagomedov's creation of a new 165lbs division, introduced in his Eagle FC banner which is expanding to the US, will benefit his fighters rather than the new promoter.

Ferguson also appeared to repeat a suggestion that Nurmagomedov dodged a date with him on the night he ultimately lost to Gaethje – even though the Dagestani was unable to travel because of transport chaos at the start of the pandemic.

Nurmagomedov responded to the outburst a few days later, though by reminding his foe of the last time he won a fight.

"June 8, 2019," Khabib fired back, which is when a doctor stoppage gave Ferguson a victory over veteran Donald Cerrone at UFC 238. 

Ferguson promptly resumed the back and forth by sharing a bizarre computer-game like clip.

The animation shows Nurmagomedov, who has experienced noted weight struggles before fights, sitting at a table eating on 'Tiramisu Tuedays' before an Ferguson arrives along and launches him into orbit.

"UFC 209, [he] blamed it on the cake, [he] felt fear for his life. UFC 249, [he] ran to [his] momma," another mystifying post by Ferguson claimed.

One MMA fan reacted to Ferguson's pronouncements by joking that he "had a stroke trying to read this".

"Adobe Photoshop is the only place he’ll ever win," remarked another.

"Otherwise, this is him," a critic added, alongside a picture of a bloodied Ferguson during his recent slump in form.

Despite the bad blood, though, Nurmagomedov has not ruled out signing Ferguson for Eagle FC one day if he is indeed ditched by the UFC. 

"Anything is possible," he replied when broached on the subject. "We are open to everything.

"Why not? These guys have built themselves throughout their careers. They have over 10 fights in the UFC and are former champions of the UFC."