The Ultimate Fighting Championship has released its first official promo for the highly-awaited title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
The defending lightweight champion will take on the number one contender in the headliner of UFC 249 fight card next month in what many fans dubbed as the ‘most anticipated fight in UFC history.’
The lightweight pair have been booked for four times in the past but the fight never materialized due to health issues and injuries.
On April 9, they will finally share the Octagon at the Barclays Center in New York as the American Kickboxing Academy standout takes the toughest test of his MMA career to date.
Both fighters are on a 12-fight winning streak, with Khabib staying undefeated in 28 professional bouts and has been successful in the past two title-defences, beating Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier with authority.
Ferguson, meanwhile, hasn’t tasted defeat since 2012 and most recently defeated Donald Cerrone by way of doctor stoppage.
He also holds notable wins against Anthony Pettis, Rafael Dos Anjos, Edson Barboza, Kevin Lee, and many others.
Pound-For-Pound King
Nurmagomedov is clearly pumped for this upcoming fight as it is the first UFC bout that will feature two fighters with 12-fight winning streak each.
For Khabib, the lightweight belt is not the only one at stake for this fight as he believes this will also determine the next pound-for-pound king.
“The UFC never make 12-win streak versus 12-win streak never, ever,” Nurmagomedov told TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter (transcript from The Score).
“I don’t know (if in the) next 10 years they can make this or not.”
“Some people, like very best people in the game, they have six- or seven-win streak. Now we’re talking about 12-win streak (on) both sides.”
“I think this fight is to be for, who’s gonna win is gonna be No. 1 pound-for-pound right now.”
Mopping The Mat
The American challenger has dismissed the hype surrounding the fight, saying he only focuses on getting crowned as the new lightweight champion next month.
To this, Ferguson vows to use his strength to turn Khabib into a human mop at UFC 249.
“Watch when you get your ass kicked by an old man,” Ferguson told Nurmagomedov at the press conference last Friday.
“I’ve just got old man strength. Champ s–t only, motherf–ker, I can’t understand you, you son of a b–h.”
“I’m gonna mop the mat with your f–king hat.”
Now check out the first official promo for the UFC 249- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson below:
(Featured Image Source: YouTube/ UFC)