Tony Ferguson to Khabib: ‘Travel Bans Will Not Prevent Me From Whoopin’ That Ass’

Tony Ferguson is as enthusiastic as ever about the prospect of squaring off against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Early Monday morning, “El Cucuy” delivered a message via Twitter to Nurmagomedov regarding their scheduled clash at UFC 249. The post implied that there might be some difficulties between both parties on a potential location for the lightweight championship bout.

“April 18 is getting close [Khabib Nurmagomedov and] you’re hiding in Russia,” Ferguson wrote. “Travel bans will not prevent me from whoopin’ that ass. Don’t use it as an excuse to back out. You have been sent many locations, send us [one]. Still my bitch.”

April 18 Is Getting Close @TeamKhabib & You’re Hiding In Russia. Travel Bans Will Not Prevent Me From Whoopin’ That Ass. Don’t Use It As An Excuse To Back Out. You Have Been Sent Many Locations, Send Us 1. Still My Bitch #DefendorVacate MF -CSO- #ufc249 @ufc @danawhite pic.twitter.com/TVQH4mnG2e

— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) March 30, 2020

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Las Vegas-based promotion is in the process of securing a venue for UFC 249, which was originally slated for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. While the UFC has postponed three events due to the disease outbreak, Dana White has continued to insist that the card headlined by Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson will proceed as planned.

Nurmagomedov spent part of his camp training at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., with a skeleton crew before returning to Russia to finish preparations.

The Dagestani champion and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight on four previous occasions dating back to 2015, but each time the bout has fallen through due to a variety of mishaps and injuries.