Tony Ferguson still hasn’t fully moved on from Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Ferguson (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) was scheduled to face Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) an astonishing five times during their UFC careers, but the fight fell through on each occasion due to various injuries on both sides.
With Nurmagomedov retired since 2020 and Ferguson recently parting ways with the UFC, it seems unlikely the two will ever find closure.
However, in a recent interview with Helen Yee, “El Cucuy” suggested the idea of coaching opposite Nurmagomedov on The Ultimate Fighter as a way to finally settle their long-standing rivalry once and for all. Ferguson made his name by winning the show back in 2011 as part of a team coached by former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
“I would definitely take the opportunity to coach against him,” Ferguson said. “He’s a knucklehead, he’s still fat, and he wears that hat, I’d love to clean the mats with it.
“But I think that the opportunity, instead of talking shit, it would be interesting to see what kind of skill level each person has. You’re talking about—I mean, I was coached by Brock, right?—I think it would be an interesting draw. So, I mean, Khabib, for sure, definitely. I could talk to you all day about that.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov tore through the lightweight division en route to becoming UFC champion in 2018. He went on to submit Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje in successive title defenses before retiring undefeated.
Since stepping away from competition, Nurmagomedov has remained a prominent figure in the sport—most notably as the coach and mentor to his cousin, Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC). Makhachev, who has lost only once in his UFC career and has dominated the lightweight division since Nurmagomedov’s retirement, has drawn frequent comparisons to “The Eagle.”
However, Tony Ferguson believes Makhachev may actually have an edge over his legendary coach—particularly when it comes to grappling.
“Somebody was telling me, who do you think is a better wrestler, is it Makhachev or is it Khabib?” Ferguson said. “I think Makhachev is the better grappler, honestly. I think he’s a little bit faster. I think with Khabib, I think he’s just a little bit more not timid of the freestyle that Makhachev presents, but I think Makhachev he’s not going to be so bad at 170. I think he’ll be alright.”
