If Khabib Does Come Back, Does Ferguson Deserve the Next Title Shot?
Khabib Nurmagomedov is, without doubt, one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history. The Russian competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, winning the UFC Lightweight title and reigning as champion for longer than any other fighter. Khabib managed to hold onto the title for over two years and recorded 29 wins, with no losses, meaning he retired from UFC without tasting a single defeat.
Khabib’s final fight came against Justin Gaethje on the 24th of October 2020 in Dubai. The fight did not last long and thanks to a technical submission in the second round, Khabib defended and unified the UFC Lightweight Championship for the second time, before his retirement. He was also given the performance of the night award, for the second UFC event in succession.
However, despite taking on and defeating Gaethje at UFC 254, the Russian was due to meet Tony Ferguson on the 18th of April 2020 at UFC 249. It was not the first time Khabib and Ferguson had been due to meet and it was the fifth time the fight had been scheduled to take place. This was set to be a huge occasion for UFC as both men were coming into the contest on a 12 fight winning streak. Alas, it was not to be as Khabib was unable to leave Russia due to restricted air travel thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was another kick in the teeth for fight fans who were looking forward to seeing what could have been the greatest fight in the history of UFC. Fans in the United States were looking forward to accessing sportsbooks and having a wager on the fight. With several states now allowing mobile sports betting, it was going to be a massive night and CO sportsbook apps, among the many others across the country, were gearing up for something special.
The retirement of Khabib put an end to any hope of seeing the Russian take on Ferguson but there have been rumours he could come out of retirement to face the American. If that were to be the case, could Ferguson be the man to inflict a first UFC defeat on Khabib?
Having fought in the co-main event of UFC 256, you have to say that going by recent form, Ferguson may struggle against Khabib if he were to return. Ferguson faced Charles Oliveira on the 12th of December 2020 in Las Vegas and lost by unanimous decision. It was the second defeat in succession for Ferguson, who previously lost to Gaethje by TKO in May 2020 at UFC 249.
However, at the post-fight press conference at UFC 256, UFC president, Dana White said, “I thought we were going to see the old Tony,” before continuing, “I thought that the last fight [against Gaethje] he was affected by weight cutting. I mean 10 out of 10 people tap to that armbar. The fact that he even made it through the armbar is unbelievable.”
There is no doubting the toughness of Ferguson and if Khabib were to return after a layoff, he may feel has an advantage. UFC fans would give anything to see a fight between Khabib and Ferguson, could it happen in 2021?
