All is Not Lost For Tony Ferguson… If Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagamedov Doesn’t Work Out, He’s First in Line to Replace the “Notorious”…
Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagamedov is in danger of becoming the MMA version of Floyd Mayweather against Manny Pacquaio. It’s the fight the fans want, the promoters want, and the fighters want. However, there remain some massive obstacles in the way before it will be signed off.
The main obstacle in the way of this one is Conor McGregor’s legal troubles. Everybody is assuming that because he’s a massively rich millionaire, with a very expensive legal team, he’s going to get off with community service, despite causing criminal damage and assault. Then the UFC have to agree on terms with him. It’s going to be the biggest contract they’ve ever signed.
If it falls through though, don’t worry. Tony Ferguson looks set to be ready to step in for the ‘The Notorious’. The former interim champion is out with injury at the moment but is set to be fit by the end of this year, as reported by BJ Penn.com.
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Training
As you can see from his Instagram posts,’El Cucuy’ is back in training. His captions are incomprehensible but the videos speak for themselves. Yes, he’s got a long way to go before he’s 100% fit, but the signs are looking good that he’s set to return.
Ferguson injured himself in the buildup to UFC, in the most ridiculous way possible. He was on media duty and tripped over a camera wire, tearing his LCL. It was the fourth time that he was booked to fight Khabib, and a despairing Dana White said that he’d never match them again.
Needless to say, Ferguson wasn’t very happy when he was stripped of his interim title. He sees himself as hard done by, considering that his injury came while promoting the event for the UFC and that Khabib hadn’t even beaten a top ten opponent to become champion.
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Fighting Style
Many people believe that Ferguson actually has a better chance of beating Nurmagamedov than McGregor does. The Russian has proven how effective he is against your regular striker. He’s taken down and battered the likes of Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson, with violent, brutal efficiency.
McGregor is an elite striker and has that knockout power which could rattle Nurmagamedov. However, his wrestling and ju-jitsu are a weak point and if he gets taken down, it’s difficult to see him getting back up.
Ferguson, in comparison, is a much more unorthodox and tricky fighter. Would McGregor beat him? Yes, probably. However, he has the tools that could test Khabib in a very different way. He’s very effective off of his back, which could be a very dangerous challenge for Khabib who likes to stand over his opponents. A 10th Planet Ju-Jitsu stylist, he’s totally unique in his way of fighting.
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This Year
Obviously, there’s a long way to go before he’s fit enough to fight. However, going from his Instagram posts, it looks like he’s ahead of schedule. October is when he’s supposed to be cleared to fight. If he manages to get fit by August, he might actually be able to stand in.
This could be awesome. Khabib needs to beat one of McGregor or Ferguson to be taken seriously as the champion. It’s that simple.
