Tony Ferguson has responded to his April 18 bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov being off.
Ferguson was set to challenge Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship in the main event of UFC 249. The coronavirus pandemic has left the UFC searching for a new location and now a new main event. Nurmagomedov is currently in Russia where a travel ban is in effect. Even if UFC 249 goes through, the chances of Nurmagomedov headlining against Ferguson are slim to none for April 18.
Ferguson Thinks Khabib Should Be Stripped Of UFC Title
Ferguson spoke to ESPN‘s Ariel Helwani. The interview aired on SportsCenter. “El Cucuy” wasn’t happy with the news and said that Nurmagomedov’s time as the 155-pound champion should end now.
“He should be stripped of his title,” Ferguson said in a SportsCenter interview.
Justin Gaethje is an option for Ferguson should he choose to take the fight. The former interim UFC lightweight champion said that he’s ready for anything thrown at him.
“It doesn’t matter who we have. We’re gonna try to make this thing go,” Ferguson said. “At least some of the people in the world have a little bit of hope. The guys that are really doing it are the doctors and the nurses and the people taking care of everybody. If we can do our little bit of part to try and make something happen, I’m down with that.”
It’s important to note that Ferguson vs. Gaethje is not a done deal. Furthermore, a location still hasn’t been made official for UFC 249. Florida had been reported as a potential landing spot for UFC 249 but with a new stay-at-home order implemented as of April 1, that plan is out the window.
MMA News will keep you up to speed on the latest details regarding UFC 249.
