The saga continues…
Before UFC 209, all eyes were on Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. Depending on who won, a probable unification match with Conor McGregor would be next. Unfortunately, ‘El Cucuy’ and ‘The Eagle’ never fought.
Just 24 hours before the event, Khabib was pulled from the fight with Ferguson. Causing a huge fallout, the loss of Nurmagomedov from UFC 209 killed the event. Sadly, the pay-per-view card was an absolute stinker. Who knows what would’ve happened had Khabib fought.
Fallout
Soon after the event went down in lacklustre fashion, Ferguson was promoted to number one lightweight contender. With McGregor still absent, an interim title would’ve essentially meant little anyways.
According to Chael Sonnen, Nurmagomedovius literally out of the title picture now. Check out what ‘The American Gangster’ told ESPN:
“Nate is Next”
“This caused Khabib Nurmagomedov long term effects,” Sonnen said on ESPN. “I’ll tell you the politics here. Dana White comes back from Russia, announces that he has a new TV deal. 48 hours later, he announces that the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson will be taking on Conor McGregor.
“You don’t need to put on your Colombo rain jacket to realize, Conor McGregor vs the favorite, Khabib Nurmagomedov was going to happen on the debut of the Russian TV deal. It is likely gone!” he said. “And I believe it goes to Nate Diaz.”
Unfinished Business
Having shared a 1-1 rivalry with McGregor, Diaz is certainly a good candidate for a title fight, but before Ferguson? ‘El Cucuy’s’ current win streak is literally huge, and he’s been knocking on the door for some time.
Given Dana White’s recent comments about frustration with ‘money fights,’ he could make a statement with the current lightweight situation. Sadly, the opinions of fans and pundits means little to the new UFC owners, who seem hell bent on making money at all costs.
Khabib should be fighting Nate as punishment, Tony should be fighting Conor. This is pretty simple and these are the fights people would want to see. As a fan of the sport and a Conor fan, I have no interest whatsoever in watching another Conor vs. Nate fight. If Nate and Conor both win their fights you can make the argument for the rubber match.
they have to fight again. nate has a finish. mcgregor doesn’t. 1-0 for nate imo. decisions suck and solve nothing.
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