WATCH: Khabib Nurmagomedov gets wistful as he reveals the 3 fights he really wanted before his retirement in 2021
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Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov had the highest selling fight in the history of the UFC at UFC 229 when he fought The tortiousus Conor McGregor. And even after that, all the way up to his retirement, he had more high-profile matches against Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.
Even with the numerous amazing fights he did have in the UFC, there are some fighters Khabib to this day regrets not fighting. In his recent sit-down interview, he was asked about the same. Khabib Nurmagomedov went on to reveal the top 3 fights that he wanted before his retirement but never got to have.
The Eagle said, “It was Tony Ferguson for sure. But this is never happen. And you know Tony Ferguson, GSP, you guessed one, GSP. And I think it was 2014-15 when Anthony Pettis was UFC, it was Anthony Pettis. Like that time I really, really wanna fight with this guy. But then he lost his title to Rafael Dos Anjos… And it was Anthony Pettis, Tony Ferguson and Canadian superstar, GSP.”
Fans always wanted to see Ferguson and Khabib, and Khabib-GSP fights. And despite it being booked numerous times, the fight never materialised. The only shocking revelation from Khabib was his desire to fight Pettis, however, that fight would have been one for the ages given the elite pedigree of both fighters. Alas, none of those fights ever happened and fans will perpetually wonder what could have been.
Related: Khabib Nurmagomedov chooses his top 3 picks to win the 2022 Qatar World Cup
Was Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson the most cursed fight in UFC history?
The fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the biggest fights in MMA to never happen. And this was in spite of the fight being booked a whopping five times. The two’s first meeting was set to happen at TUF 22’s finale, however it was called off after Khabib had to pull out after a lingering knee injury resurfaced.
The next time, it was Tony who pulled out because of a medical clearance issue after a doctor found some blood in El Cucuy’s lungs. In 2017, however, the fight almost happened at UFC 209. But, 48 hours before the fight, The Eagle fell ill and the bout was called off due to a doctor’s suggestion.In 2018, the fight was booked again. However, this time, in what seemed like a very cruel April Fool’s joke at the UFC fans’ expense, the fight was called off again.
In this instance, it was a fluke injury suffered by Tony that led to the fight being called off. The last time this fight was booked was in 2020. This time both fighters were ready, willing and able. However, the Covid-19 pandemic put the brakes on the fight as quarantine regulations meant Khabib couldn’t show up.
It seems Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmgomedov really was the most cursed fight in UFC history. And after the 5th bout fell through, Tony lost his win-streak in a brutal manner against Justin Gaethje, which killed all anticipation for the fight.
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Neeraj Bharadwaj
(58 Articles Published)