Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Tony Ferguson’s only path to beating him was by a lucky punch.
Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is one of the biggest what-if fights of all time as the two were scheduled to fight on five occasions, but none of those bouts ended up happening for a variety of reasons. Many still believe Ferguson was the one man who could have defeated Nurmagomedov, but ‘The Eagle’ doesn’t think that is the case.
Instead, Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks had they fought, the only way Tony Ferguson would have beaten him was by a lucky punch.
“I feel a little bit sad. But, at the same time, I always understood that my game is worse for him,” Khabib Nurmagomedov said on the “Inspire Me Podcast” (via MMAJunkie). “He doesn’t have wrestling, he doesn’t have grappling. What was he going to do with me? How was he going to stop me? The only chance he had to stop me was with a lucky punch, like with everybody. Like with Conor (McGregor), with (Dustin) Poirier, with Justin Gaethje.
“Everybody talks about like, ‘They can stop him if Khabib is going to get (hit with) lucky punch,’ but other stuff, how are they going to stop me? When he fought with Danny Castillo, (Beneil) Dariush, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, all these guys mauled him. He didn’t have wrestling defense. He didn’t have good grappling. My fighting game was worse for him. I’m a little bit sad, but what we can do,?” Khabib Nurmagomedov added.
Unfortunately, fans will never know who would have won had Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fought all those years ago. But, Nuragomedov doesn’t think the fight would have been close at all, as he thinks he would dominated Ferguson.
Khabib Nurmagomedov ended up retiring 29-0. Tony Ferguson, meanwhile, has gone on to lose eight straight fights, which Nurmagomedov says is sad.
“I feel a little bit sad, but then time showed who has what level,” Nurmagomedov concluded.
