Tony Ferguson takes a swipe at his fiercest rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, after the Ultimate Fighting Championship rebooked the Justin Gaethje fight.
Ferguson was originally scheduled to challenge Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 249 dubbed as the ‘most anticipated fight in the UFC history. The matchup, however, was shelved for a fifth time as the defending champion is stranded in Russia amid the coronavirus pandemic.
To save the fight card, the UFC tapped Gaethje as the replacement for Khabib but the event was eventually canceled after the UFC’s broadcast partner, ESPN, urged the promotion to postpone its upcoming shows indefinitely.
Dana White assured MMA fans the UFC will be the first sports organization to return to normal schedule and on Tuesday, the UFC president revealed the date for its major comeback, which could feature a very stacked fight card.
Stacked Card
According to a report from ESPN, the UFC eyes to return on May 9 to bring one of its most stacked fight cards to date, which includes three title fights.
“BREAKING: UFC president Dana White says the company has turned its focus to hosting its next event on May 9 at a location TBD. He remains adamant the company will get back on schedule, and barring outside factors, intends to hold a card on May 9. **Targeted matchups** include…” ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported.
The newly-built May 9 fight card will feature Ferguson vs Gaethje as its headliner, with the interim lightweight title up for grabs. Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz will lock horns for the bantamweight strap while two-weight champ Amanda Nunes takes on Felicia Spencer to defend her featherweight title.
Some key fights added to the card are Francis Ngannou vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Calvin Kattar vs Jeremy Stephens, Ronaldo Souza vs Uriah Hall, and Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone.
Tiramisu Time
Following the announcement, the top lightweight contender took to Twitter and mocked Nurmagomedov with a photo of ‘Cooking With Khabib Volume 2.’
“TiramisuCustardTime” You Know What Day It Is Crew, #Tiramisu Tuesday Compliments Of Good Ol’e Fathead. Still Cutting Weight #ufc249 Wanted To Give Ya Something Sweet & Neat. I’ll Save Mine For After Weigh In’s
@RealFPJr Thanks Hermano For The Recipe.”
‘El Cucuy’ slammed the Russian fighter after pulling out of their scheduled title bout, saying Khabib used the travel restrictions to duck him.
Nurmagomedov will be out of action until September and he is likely to fight the winner of Ferguson vs Gaethje in a unification bout.
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov)