Khabib Nurmagomedov has made it clear that he wants to fight Tony Ferguson next, even if he has to put his money where his mouth is to make it happen.
The UFC’s lightweight division has a rather wonderful problem. At the top of the pile you’ve got a legitimate superstar as champion in Conor McGregor, but there isn’t a clear-cut number one contender to match him up against. Instead there are two elite-level contenders who have equal claim to the next title shot in the 155 lb division.
Under normal circumstances, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s pristine 24-0 professional record coupled with his impressive submission over Michael Johnson at UFC 205 would probably be enough to earn him a crack at the belt. However, it could also be argued that Tony Ferguson’s nine-fight win-streak in the promotion’s deepest division culminating with his dominant victory over former champion Rafael dos Anjos would make him the number one guy.
However, with nothing to separate the two warriors and McGregor likely to take some time off as he awaits the birth of his child, Chael Sonnen’s prediction is looking more and more likely. These streaking lightweights are probably going to slug it out.
The promotion are targeting a bout between the two in 2017, but El Cucuy appears to have stalled negotiations by holding out for more money. This is not surprising in the slightest considering he earned just $50,000 to show plus a further $50,000 for beating Edson Barboza at the TUF 22 Finale, the last time his purse was disclosed.
Nate Diaz proved to the world that a Red Panty Night bout could be a very lucrative moment for a fighter as he jumped from banking half a million bucks to face the Notorious at UFC 196 to raking in a cool $2 million for the rematch.
If Ferguson loses against the Eagle, he’ll go several rungs back down the ladder as the target on McGregor’s back increases in size each time he fights. So Nurmagomedov has a novel idea to get him to agree to the deal – simply offering him what he wants out of his own pocket.
Hey @TonyFergusonXT if the @ufc don't want to pay you I'll pay you 200k extra on your purse let's make this fight now you have no excuse
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 2, 2017
It’s a bold strategy from the Sambo specialist who runs the risk of looking like a complete mug if Ferguson agrees on these terms and ends up handing him his first ever loss. However, with rumours that the promotion are lining him up to fight McGregor in a giant event in Russia, there’s no wonder why he wants to leave no doubt that he deserves his crack at the belt.
