Well, it seems clear that Tony Ferguson isn’t the biggest fan of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor right now.
The UFC Interim Lightweight Champion will put his gold on the line against Justin Gaethje this weekend at UFC 249; however, Ferguson doesn’t buy the reason that Nurmagomedov had to pull out of his match-up last minute and claims that the Interim Lightweight Championship is the real belt (Transcript courtesy of Sports Bible):
“(Expletive) Khabib,” Ferguson told reporters on Tuesday’s UFC 249 conference call. “I’m defending my belt for the third time. This is for the real belt, this is not for an interim title. This is for the real championship (expletive). It’s champ (expletive) only, buddy.”
Ferguson has been vocal about the 155-pound champion pulling out of their scheduled title bout at UFC 249 for the fifth time and he continues to suggest that Nurmagomedov should retire:
"I'm going to be real, Khabib doesn't even [frick]ing exist to me right now. That dude fell off the face of the earth to me. Him and McNuggets. The only dudes who sign on the dotted line are real [frick]ing men. I told Khabib he needs to step down and walk away. Khabib is a bitch. Him and McNuggets, they both need to f**king retire. The only two real men out there are me and Justin Gaethje. America mother[frick]ers!"
The winner of the Ferguson vs. Gaethje fight this weekend will be the next man to challenge Khabib for the official lightweight title this Fall. UFC 249 takes place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a main card scheduled to air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.