Tony Ferguson on Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘That Dude Doesn’t Exist’
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Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner Tony Ferguson had a few thoughts on Media Day about his legacy and his opponents.
Sporting a pair of sunglasses while wearing a black mask and
clutching a baseball, former interim lightweight titleholder
Ferguson sat down at the UFC Virtual Media Day to talk with
reporters. His first thoughts on Thursday were not about his
upcoming matchup, future opponents or what his legacy would
entail.
“I get to wear a cool mask like Sub-Zero…[or] Scorpion,” Ferguson remarked. Both characters from the “Mortal Kombat” video game franchise, Ferguson promptly removed his mask and adjusted his shades after getting the icebreaker question out of the way about the coronavirus’ impact on his life.
Facing Justin Gaethje for the interim strap on Saturday, “El Cucuy” was happy to admit that unlike other potential adversaries like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, Ferguson holds no animosity for Gaethje. “I have nothing against the kid,” he said. “He’s awesome, he’s nicknamed the ‘Human Highlight’ for a reason.”
Ferguson is well aware of the hard-charging style of Gaethje, but did note that Gaethje had already met some of his opponents after Ferguson defeated them. “He got my leftovers,” he pointed out. “They were already broken.”
Gaethje stated recently that he wants Ferguson to break his nose in the fight, and that the damage that Ferguson would inflict upon him would drive him to win the fight. Ferguson admitted that he would oblige Gaethje and elbow him in the face, but considered that Gaethje and his historically iron chin may play right into the gameplan of “The Highlight.” “He doesn’t want me to punch him in the stomach,” Ferguson said with a grin.
The relatively light nature of the conversation turned darker when the title was mentioned. Ferguson claimed interim lightweight gold against Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in 2017, but the title was stripped when Ferguson suffered a freak knee injury before meeting Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 in 2018. Ferguson believes he should still be champion.
“I do have the belt,” he said flatly. “I shouldn’t have been stripped.” Although beating Gaethje will add another interim title to his mantle, Ferguson was not thrilled at the way the promotion marketed this fight. “Nothing else is changing. I like to collect trophies…I’m not worried about a piece of hardware, I have the real title.”
About a future opponent, Ferguson dismissed the next fight immediately. He and Nurmagomedov have been linked to fight one another five times, and most recently “The Eagle” withdrew from the bout due to travel restrictions from the coronavirus. Ferguson did not want to waste breath on Nurmagomedov, emphatically saying, “I don’t give a s---, that dude doesn’t exist.”
With the potential to become the first two-time interim champion in a weight class in UFC history, Ferguson does not believe this fight or any to come are for his legacy. “I don’t have a legacy…I don’t think about my legacy. I fight for faith, family and friends.” He later added, “I stopped paying attention to [my] winning streak a long time ago.”
Proudly stating, “I’m American made with Mexican parts,” Ferguson told media to “expect fireworks.” Confident that he and Gaethje can deliver when the night ends, he is also aware that the entirety of the UFC 249 lineup is stacked. “We’re very lucky to be able to fight this weekend,” he explained. “The undercard’s gonna be awesome, you can’t really call it an undercard.”
Ferguson finished by describing his training regimen that sometimes lasts for 12 hours a day, he had a simple message. “Be on point,” he said. “I’m a mechanic…if something’s wrong with my body, I’m gonna fix it.” Fully healed and ready to fight in the main event of Saturday’s return to action, Ferguson is ready for combat. “When I sign on the dotted line for something, I get committed for that thing,” he concluded. UFC 249 takes place on May 9 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Along with the headliner of Ferguson vs. Gaethje for the interim lightweight title, Henry Cejudo looks to defend his bantamweight throne against Dominick Cruz.
Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner Tony Ferguson had a few thoughts on Media Day about his legacy and his opponents.
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“I get to wear a cool mask like Sub-Zero…[or] Scorpion,” Ferguson remarked. Both characters from the “Mortal Kombat” video game franchise, Ferguson promptly removed his mask and adjusted his shades after getting the icebreaker question out of the way about the coronavirus’ impact on his life.
Soon after, it was down to business for Ferguson. When asked about
how he prepared for an opponent, he simply stated, “I’m not worried
about what they’re doing. I’ve got 12 wins on a row only because I
lost to Michael
Johnson.”
Facing Justin Gaethje for the interim strap on Saturday, “El Cucuy” was happy to admit that unlike other potential adversaries like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, Ferguson holds no animosity for Gaethje. “I have nothing against the kid,” he said. “He’s awesome, he’s nicknamed the ‘Human Highlight’ for a reason.”
Ferguson is well aware of the hard-charging style of Gaethje, but did note that Gaethje had already met some of his opponents after Ferguson defeated them. “He got my leftovers,” he pointed out. “They were already broken.”
Gaethje stated recently that he wants Ferguson to break his nose in the fight, and that the damage that Ferguson would inflict upon him would drive him to win the fight. Ferguson admitted that he would oblige Gaethje and elbow him in the face, but considered that Gaethje and his historically iron chin may play right into the gameplan of “The Highlight.” “He doesn’t want me to punch him in the stomach,” Ferguson said with a grin.
The relatively light nature of the conversation turned darker when the title was mentioned. Ferguson claimed interim lightweight gold against Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in 2017, but the title was stripped when Ferguson suffered a freak knee injury before meeting Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 in 2018. Ferguson believes he should still be champion.
“I do have the belt,” he said flatly. “I shouldn’t have been stripped.” Although beating Gaethje will add another interim title to his mantle, Ferguson was not thrilled at the way the promotion marketed this fight. “Nothing else is changing. I like to collect trophies…I’m not worried about a piece of hardware, I have the real title.”
About a future opponent, Ferguson dismissed the next fight immediately. He and Nurmagomedov have been linked to fight one another five times, and most recently “The Eagle” withdrew from the bout due to travel restrictions from the coronavirus. Ferguson did not want to waste breath on Nurmagomedov, emphatically saying, “I don’t give a s---, that dude doesn’t exist.”
With the potential to become the first two-time interim champion in a weight class in UFC history, Ferguson does not believe this fight or any to come are for his legacy. “I don’t have a legacy…I don’t think about my legacy. I fight for faith, family and friends.” He later added, “I stopped paying attention to [my] winning streak a long time ago.”
Proudly stating, “I’m American made with Mexican parts,” Ferguson told media to “expect fireworks.” Confident that he and Gaethje can deliver when the night ends, he is also aware that the entirety of the UFC 249 lineup is stacked. “We’re very lucky to be able to fight this weekend,” he explained. “The undercard’s gonna be awesome, you can’t really call it an undercard.”
Ferguson finished by describing his training regimen that sometimes lasts for 12 hours a day, he had a simple message. “Be on point,” he said. “I’m a mechanic…if something’s wrong with my body, I’m gonna fix it.” Fully healed and ready to fight in the main event of Saturday’s return to action, Ferguson is ready for combat. “When I sign on the dotted line for something, I get committed for that thing,” he concluded. UFC 249 takes place on May 9 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Along with the headliner of Ferguson vs. Gaethje for the interim lightweight title, Henry Cejudo looks to defend his bantamweight throne against Dominick Cruz.
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