Tony Ferguson never hesitates to take aim at his former UFC rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Ferguson saw five fight bookings with Nurmagomedov fall through but still hopes to settle the score in some shape or form. He suggested coaching “The Ultimate Fighter” against him, then partaking in a grappling match.
When assessing Nurmagomedov’s protege, Islam Makhachev, and his decision to move up to 170 pounds, Ferguson made a bold claim.
“Somebody was telling me, who do you think is a better wrestler? Is it Makhachev or is it Khabib?” Ferguson told Helen Yee. “I think Makhachev is the better grappler, honestly. I think he’s a little bit faster. I think with Khabib, I think he’s just a little bit more not timid of the freestyle that Makhachev presents, but I think Makhachev, he’s not going to do so bad at 170. I think he’ll be all right.”
Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) is moving to welterweight after breaking the UFC record for most lightweight title defenses at four. Former interim lightweight champion Ferguson supports his decision.
“OK, so you have Islam Makhachev that went up north to 170 and then you have Ilia Topuria from ’45, he’s going to go up to ’55 to fight Chuck (Oliveira),” Ferguson said. “Look, when it goes into it, you have to have somebody f*cking fight for the belt. I mean, Makhachev fought how many times at ’55? That’s much more, and he made weight. When you have that (four title defenses), I think that’s a smart move. When you go up, you’re going to try to build legacy, you’re going to do certain things like that – and he’s going to run like his cousin.”
