Islam Makhachev wants to wrap up "unfinished business" with Tony Ferguson to prove he was never on Khabib Nurmagomedov's level
Given a choice, UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev wants to take on Tony Ferguson in his next fight. Makhachev picked up an impressive submission victory against Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Vegas 31 on Saturday.
With the win, Makhachev extended his unbeaten streak to eight fights inside the octagon and is now ready to swim with the big sharks in the division. Following the fight, Islam Makhachev initially claimed he wants to fight someone in the top-five of the 155-pound division in his next bout.
At the post-fight press conference following UFC Vegas 31, Islam Makhachev revealed who he wants to fight next if he is given a choice. Makhachev said he'd like to take on Tony Ferguson in his next fight as a chance to end his friend Khabib Nurmagomedov's unfinished business.
According to many fans and critics, Tony Ferguson would have been the toughest test in Nurmagomedov's career. The pair were booked to fight each other on numerous occasions, but on every single one, the fight failed to come to fruition. Nurmagomedov retired undefeated, but people still want to find out what would have happened if Nurmagomedov and Ferguson locked horns inside the cage.
While we won't see 'The Eagle' fighting 'El Cucuy', perhaps a fight between Tony Ferguson and Islam Makhachev is the closest we can get to it. Makhachev wants to beat Ferguson and prove to the world that 'El Cucuy' was never on Khabib's level in the first place.
"If they are going to give me a choice, let's do it with Tony because we have a good history with him. Khabib was supposed to fight him five/six times. Let's finish this. I'm going to finish this. I'm going to show people around the world Tony is not on Khabib's level." said Islam Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev wants to settle unfinished business with Rafael dos Anjos
Following his win at UFC Vegas 31, Islam Makhachev called out former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos. The pair had been scheduled to fight each other on a couple of occasions in the past, but the fight failed to come to fruition.
RDA is also a top-ranked contender, and a win against him next could propel Makhachev into the lightweight division's elite.
Watch Islam Makhachev's post-fight press conference below: