Khabib Nurmagomedov Unsure Tony Ferguson Can Beat Anthony Pettis After His Injury
Tony Ferguson makes his long awaited return to the Octagon next month against Anthony Pettis as part of the co-main event at UFC 229. “El Cucuy” injured his knee in April, tripping over a cable in a television studio while shooting a promotional piece in the lead-up to his scheduled bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the then-vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight belt. The former lightweight interim champion has undergone an intense rehabilitation program to fast-track his return to the sport and prepare him for the fight against Pettis.
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight each other on four separate occasions, with all four fights ending up cancelled due to illness or injury. Nurmagomedov, who is scheduled to defend the lightweight title against a returning Conor McGregor at UFC 229, isn’t sure which version of Ferguson will return after the injury and believes he faces a tough match stylistically against the resurgent Pettis. In an interview with Brian Vega, the undefeated Dagestani champion offered his take on the fight.
“I hope he’s going to win,” Nurmagomedov said. “But my opinion, this fight is stylistically very bad match-up for Tony Ferguson. I don’t know how he feel after he is injured. He is [34] years old. He come back after injury. If he wins, it’s going to be big fight next year. One more biggest fight in UFC history. Let’s go.”
The UFC lightweight division has three key fights slated before the end of the year. Besides Ferguson-Pettis and Nurmagomedov-McGregor at UFC 229, UFC 230 on Nov. 3 will see the surging Dustin Poirier take on Nate Diaz, with a win putting Poirier very much on the cusp of a title shot.
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