Tony Ferguson reflects on foiled matchups with “fathead” Khabib Nurmagomedov

By Tom Taylor - January 13, 2021

Tony Ferguson recently took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing on the times he was scheduled to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Ufc 249, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Dana White

Ferguson was scheduled to battle Nurmagomedov a ridiculous five times to no avail, with the matchup falling through due to last-minute injuries, pandemic-related travel restrictions, and more.

On Tuesday night, Ferguson took to Twitter to reflect on his many failed matchups with Nurmagomedov, sneaking in a few digs at his rival in the process.

The UFC’s most recent attempt to book a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson occurred early in 2020. Regrettably, the matchup fell through when Nurmagomedov got stranded in Russia due to the early travel restrictions associated with the pandemic.

Ferguson then accepted a short-notice fight with Justin Gaethje, which he ended up losing via late TKO. That loss marked the end of a 12-fight unbeaten streak for the American.

Despite that loss, a Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson fight still seemed possible, provided the latter could get back into the win column in impressive fashion. Unfortunately for fans hoping to see this fight, Ferguson ultimately experienced a second consecutive loss in his next fight, losing a decision to Charles Oliveira in December.

Suffice it to say that, with Ferguson now on a two-fight skid and Nurmagomedov retired, it seems the time for this matchup has passed.