Khabib Nurmagomedov believes those close to Tony Ferguson should urge him to retire.
Khabib and Ferguson were once on a collision course but the bout never materialized despite several attempts by UFC. Injuries and illnesses on both sides prevented the matchup from happening. Fast forward to 2021 and Nurmagomedov is retired, while Ferguson is on a three-fight skid.
During a press conference, Nurmagomedov said he hopes someone can convince “El Cucuy” to hang up his gloves (via BJPenn.com).
“He is 38-years-old, tell me how he can make a comeback? He was dominated in his last three bouts. Different styles, a striker, a grappler Dariush, Oliveira, Gaethje, they all dominated him both standing up and on the ground. When you are 38, I believe you have to pull the brakes and there have to be people around him to say, hey, you are aging. You have to stop.”
Nurmagomedov retired following a second-round submission finish over Justin Gaethje back in October 2020. He ended his pro MMA career with a perfect record of 29-0.
As for Ferguson, his 12-fight winning streak came to an end back in May 2020. He was defeated by Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC Lightweight Title. “El Cucuy” ended up losing to Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush in his next two fights.
Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is likely to go down as one of those “what if” questions in MMA history. While some believe Ferguson’s recent outings indicate how a fight with Khabib would’ve gone, others feel “El Cucuy” is simply past his prime.
