Khabib Nurmagomedov honors Tony Ferguson in moving retirement tribute: "His life is just beginning, I just want to wish him all the best"
If there is one thing in the career of Tony Ferguson that fans did not get to see, it was an undisputed title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Though the two lightweights did not get to fight, they still engaged in a competitive rivalry as the two top fighters in the 155-pound division for over half a decade.
Regardless, Nurmagomedov was one of the first to wish Ferguson a happy retirement after the 40-year-old left one glove in the octagon after his eighth consecutive loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov said:
"[Tony Ferguson retiring] is not a surprise for me because he's 40 years old. I just want to wish him all the best. He is truly one of the best [to ever compete] in the UFC. His life is just beginning because he's just 40 years old and just finished his MMA career. Now, it's going to be a different life, much better life."
Nurmagomedov was in Abu Dhabi to corner his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, who was competing in the main event against Cory Sandhagen.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson's history
During Khabib Nurmagomedov's title reign from 2018 to 2020, Tony Ferguson was considered the top contender nearly the entire time but the fight could never materialize for a variety of reasons. 'El Cucuy' even won the interim belt at UFC 216 with a submission of Kevin Lee but suffered a bizarre injury tripping over a cable during fight week for his scheduled bout with the Dagestani in 2018.
The final and most recent attempt to organize the matchup was targeted for UFC 249 but travel issues trapped Nurmagomedov in Russia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ferguson instead faced Justin Gaethje in the event for the interim title and suffered what would eventually be the first loss of his current historic losing streak.
In total, the Nurmagomedov-Ferguson matchup was signed and announced on five separate occasions but could never make its way to the intended date. The fight is often brought up as a top example of a contest with high public demand that fans missed out on.