Ferguson tells McGregor to ‘defend or vacate’ lightweight title
On Twitter, Ferguson says McGregor should defend or vacate the lightweight title.
@TheNotoriousMMA Better Get That Cardio Right Son, Can't Run Forever #DefendOrVacate That Bitch Is Mine, Don't Trip Just Drop It & Walk Away
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) March 23, 2017
Ferguson: ‘No way’ McGregor can beat Mayweather at boxing
Ferguson says that McGregor cannot breat Mayweather at boxing.
No way. Floyd’s just a different animal.
He also says McGregor does not want to fight him:
That dude doesn’t want to fight me directly. Conor knows exactly what he’s up against, and he knows I’m a force to be reckoned with. He can’t talk his way through this one. And the same thing with Nate. It’s a different scale with me…Well, why not? I mean, literally I was just fighting for the [interim] belt. I feel like I am a legit contender, I’ve got nine wins in a row, I’ve got X amount of performance [of the night] victories. Really, I’ve been putting in some work. I feel like I deserve it…If he’s all about business and being a punk he needs to vacate that belt but, I don’t know. If you want to box, let’s go. I’ll box you. That dude would get eaten up on his feet.
White: Ferguson ‘devastated’ by Nurmagomedov pull-out
White says that despite Ferguson being paid his fight purse (“show” money) of $250,000 for UFC 209, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission records, he was emotionally crushed he couldn’t compete in what was the most significant and highest-profile fight of his career.
The thing is that he was devastated. He came over to our offices, and he was as bad as anybody I’ve ever seen when a fight pulls out.
‘Your Next Conor’
Ferguson sends a message to McGregor.
Your Next Connor… @TheNotoriousMMA #DefendOrVacate • #UFC #UFC209
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) March 5, 2017
Cruz: Ferguson should fight McGregor next
After Nurmagomedov pulls out of his fight with Ferguson, Cruz says Ferguson should fight McGregor.
We got to sit and wait and see what the UFC decides. The UFC are master matchmakers…It kind of messed up this card pretty good, because a lot of people were looking forward to it. So give ’em time to think about it. But I would says, looking from the outside in. You gotta kinda give the shot to Ferguson..You can’t hold Ferguson back because Khabib’s hurt.
White: No replacement fighter, Ferguson cancelled
White says that, despite several offers, there will be no replacement fight after Nurmagomedov dropped out of his fight against Ferguson. White says he did talk with White says he did speak with Michael Johnson — the last fighter to beat Ferguson — but ultimately cancelled the fight altogether.
The latest is I’m on suicide watch right now…The problem is that we’re one day away from the fight. it’s very hard. I respect the fact that so many people want to take the fight, but we’ll see what happens.
Nurmagomedov-Ferguson fight cancelled
After Numagomedev’s doctor’s recommendation that the fighter not compete in UFC 209, the fight with Ferguson is cancelled. UFC statement:
UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov was transported to Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center Thursday evening due to weight management medical issues. He was treated and has been discharged, UFC officials confirmed. The scheduled interim lightweight championship bout between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 has been cancelled on the doctor’s recommendation. UFC 209 emanates from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Saturday night live on Pay-Per-View at 10pm/7pm ETPT. Tyron Woodley takes on Stephen Thompson with his welterweight championship on the line in a rematch from their 2016 Fight of the Year contender at UFC 205.
Kavanagh ‘can’t imagine’ McGregor not fighting Ferguson-Nurmgomedov winner
Coach Kavanagh says he expects McGregor to fight the winner of the UFC 209 bout between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov.
I would love the challenge of it, for Conor to test himself in that area. I’ll be honest, right from the beginning I’ve been hearing ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that’ … We’re kind of used to being told to what we can’t do, but we don’t pay too much attention to it, we just get on and make things happen. I’ve said it before, the Nate rematch interests me a lot because it’s one-one and how the styles match up. Almost on a par with that, not much difference, would be the winner of Khabib-Ferguson this weekend. I think Khabib does it, I think Khabib will be the winner, so I think Khabib will be the match-up out of that. I find it hard to imagine not seeing [McGregor back in MMA]. Even if and when the Mayweather fight was going to happen, and he got that out of the way. I know, like myself, I do believe his true love is free combat sports and there is no ‘free-er’ combat sport than mixed martial arts. I can’t imagine him not fighting the winner of [Khabib vs. Ferguson]. Now we gotta see what happens with the Mayweather talks and all that, but yeah, I do believe that will happen.
Ferguson: ‘Have fun with that weight cut’
At the press conference for UFC 209, Ferguson taunts Nurmagomedov about his weight.
Have fun with that weight cut.
https://twitter.com/karlt187/status/837718989614821376
Ferguson to McGregor: ‘Come back when you’re ready to be a man’
At a press conference for UFC 209, Ferguson says McGregor is trying to avoid him.
He’s trying to avoid me by going over to boxing. I honestly couldn’t care less. This is a man’s sport we play…I’ve been putting in my my work and my effort, and Khabib and me are going to have this war. Whatever Conor does, I gave him a pass. I don’t have to talk too much shit. He’s got a kid coming up. I told him, go spend some of that money, dude. Go do what you’ve got to do and earn that little thing that you’ve got, and then come back when you’re ready to be a man. I’m at 155. Once I’m done, I’ll move on and make sure whoever’s next is going to get it. But right now, the fight at hand is Khabib Nurmagomedov, and we’re here to do business.
Ferguson: ‘Money made McGregor ‘soft’
Ferguson explains his ‘McNuggets’ taunt against McGregor.
I’m not going to start thinking I’m the shit or focusing on Conor. I’m going to stay grounded, humbled and keep earning my way to victory. ‘TSKYH’ is tattooed on my arm. ‘Think Strong Keep Your Head.’ That means don’t be floating in the clouds…Money made McGregor soft. I say ‘McNuggets,’ because he’s made of that fake shit, that pink stuff from McDonalds that nobody wants. Do I get a little pissed [I’m asked about him]? Yeah, I get a little heated. But the real belt is between myself and Khabib. He’s 24-0. Dude, I forget how many wins I have. I don’t even care anymore. Those numbers keep racking up.
Ferguson says he will ‘end’ McGregor with snap-jitsu
Ferguson talks about his upcoming fight with Nurmagomedov at UFC 209.
For UFC 209 you can expect fireworks. I’ve been working on my hands like you would not believe, my head-movement, I don’t want to get hit anymore. It’s a flawless victory I am looking for. I’ll go out there and out-condition this guy, put the pressure on him and completely shut up all the fans out there who are haters.
If he wins he will face McGregor.
You know what, everybody’s got a shot. It’s a fighter’s chance and anybody can get knocked out on any single day. But this isn’t four-oz gloves, this is a completely different sport. When you get hit you can’t take em down like he tried to do with Nate Diaz. If Conor McGregor and myself were ever to go toe-to-toe I’d put him down, hard. I’d put him down with snap-jitsu, he would go to snapdown city and that would just be the end of Conor.
Calls McGregor ‘fake as f-ck’
Ferguson continues his attacks on McGregor:
He wants to call himself the ghost but he’s gonna fade like a ghost cause he’s a buster. That dude’s fake as f-ck. He’s trying to quit, he’s trying to look for excuses on his way out. He don’t wanna be in a man’s division. Go play somewhere else, McNugget. We’re real fighters over here. You ain’t no ghost…I’m that dude that won’t back down. Mayweather’s gonna knock his ass out. Mayweather’s too much for him – and he knows that shit too.
Ferguson calls McGregor ‘paper champ’
Ferguson responds to a tweet posted by McGregor regarding McGregor’s fight with Alvarez:
Paper Champ Who Thought U Could Walk Away From MMA #MoneyMadeYouSoftMcnuggets I Bet You Fade Like A Ghost. #Buster #ElCucuy pic.twitter.com/v0kG8ukS15
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) February 6, 2017
McGregor: Nurmagomedov and Ferguson are ‘bums’
During his interview at An Evening with.., in Manchester, McGregor dismisses any threat from Ferguson or Nurmagomedov.
Not a whisper about that one. But business is business. You’ve got to create [attention], because the two guys who are fighting for that interim belt are bums. I always look at the game, the fight game in the UFC, and sometimes I wonder to myself why it’s never broken through to that next level, why no one before me has ever gotten to that next level. Because they’re all dogshit. They’re sloppy, messy, chinny. It’s not pretty to look at, and it’s the same with these two clowns. Two bums fighting for an interim belt. They should be very happy that I’m chilling now, taking a break, and they have this little chance to think that they’re up there. But in reality, they’re nowhere close. They both would be knocked out stiff. Both chinny, both wild, too sloppy…F*ck them all. F*ck every one of them.
Ferguson: McGregor is a ‘poor bastard’ who has never defended a title ‘in his entire life’
Ferguson calls out McGregor for never having had to defend a belt.
Who knows if ‘McNuggets’ is going to come in there and defend his belt. That poor bastard has never defended even one belt in his entire life. If he’s trying to box – I will go toe-to-toe with that mother f-cker, and I will knock him out. That dude is going to try to go with [Floyd] Mayweather, the Olympic boxer? It’s OK, son. It’s a completely different sport. Come back over here, 155-pound division and defend your belt if you’re really man enough. [McGregor and Nurmagomedov] are puzzles that I got that missing pieces to. I got that missing piece for these guys. That’s something a lot of these guys haven’t figured out. I’m the antidote for these viruses.
Nurmagomedov: Ferguson tougher than McGregor
Nurmagomedov says McGregor is holding up the division, and that Ferguson is a stronger opponent.
Because he never defends his belts. He never [defended] his Cage Warriors belts, never defended his featherweight belt, and now UFC lightweight, I don’t think is different. But he has to defend. We’ll see. I don’t think about this too much. I think about Tony and March 4. This is the biggest fight in my life…I feel Tony’s tougher than Conor. Because if I take [Conor] down, fight finished. If I take down Tony, we have to fight. Take down Conor, what’s he going to do? His condition is very bad. His spirit, his heart is small. I think Tony’s tougher than Conor.
Ferguson: McGregor will get his ‘ass kicked’ by Mayweather
Ferguson says he’s frustrated by McGregor holding up the division.
It’s for an interim title. It should be for the real shit. Am I little pissed about it? Yeah. Is Conor going to defend his belt? Little shit. Probably not. He’s going to run. Go ahead. Go run. Go try to box so you can get your ass kicked, too, then when you’re ready to come back they’re going to strip your belt. At 155, I’m going to be holding that and you’re going to be like ‘oh I want my belt back’. I don’t give a f-ck. This is the real fight. The fight’s between Khabib and Ferguson. That’s the real deal fight…Honestly I could give two shits about it. He’s got his family, he’s got his things, he’s got his hands full. He’s a grown-ass man, he can handle his own shit. Same thing with me. I’m here to kick everybody’s ass in this division. I’m not going to excuse anybody of an ass whooping.
Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov for interim lightweight title confirmed for UFC 209
White announces that Ferguson will fight Nurmagomedov for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209 on March 4. At one point Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson seemed as if it was off the table, with Nurmagomedov claiming he was moving on from Ferguson who — according to White — was asking for too much money. It’s understood that Ferguson and the promotion came to a middle ground.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson for the interim LW title on March 4 at UFC 209!!! pic.twitter.com/oJwvlDl4eX
— danawhite (@danawhite) January 13, 2017
Nurmagomedov offers to pay $200K of Ferguson’s purse
Nurmagomedov says that if the UFC won’t pay enough, he will boost Ferguson’s purse with $200,000 of his own money.
Hey @TonyFergusonXT if the @ufc don't want to pay you I'll pay you 200k extra on your purse let's make this fight now you have no excuse
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 2, 2017