Tony Ferguson is Not Impressed by New Champion Khabib Nurmagamedov…
Khabib Nurmagamedov is the new UFC lightweight champion of the world. The Dagestani fighter extended his overall unbeaten record to 26-0 and his UFC hot streak to 10-0 in the process. After beating Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor was officially stripped, and Khabib now holds the 155-pound belt.
It wasn’t meant to be this way though. This has been one of the most insane weeks in the history of the UFC. If you remember back before Max Holloway was forced to pull out, and before Conor McGregor stole the headlines for a bus attack, this was meant to be a totally different main event.
Tony Ferguson was quick to remind the world who the real champion is – in his eyes at least. The Michigan native was Khabib’s original opponent for this week. However, he was forced to withdraw from the fight after bizarrely tearing his LCL at a UFC press event.
Dominant
Khabib dominated Iaquinta for practically the entire fight. The first couple of rounds were spent with the Russian on top, making life miserable for his opponent. Iaquinta came back into it in rounds 3 and 4, landing a few heavy punches, but never quite doing enough to put Khabib in trouble. Finally, he was smothered in the 5th and Khabib got the decision win.
Most people were impressed by the Dagestani’s craft and tenacity. He’s got a history of shutting down his opponents. Remember the helpless and lost faces of Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson? This was more of the same. Khabib is simply different class.
Not Happy
Ferguson is still salty that he’s effectively been stripped of his interim title, after injuring himself on media duty for the UFC. Despite Dana White saying that an interim title basically just means designated number one contender, Ferguson believes that he is the legitimate champion. He tweeted:
“You’re Stripping Me Of A Title Because Of That Performance? I see you ninjas. #ufc223 Still My Mat”.
Please! Can Khabib and Tony Ferguson just fight already? Dana White has said that he will never book the pair again after four cancellations, but come on! How about fifth time lucky? It’s the fight the division needs. The full tweet and gif can be seen below.
“You’re Stripping Me Of A Title Because Of That Performance?” I See You Ninjas. #ufc223 Still My Mat. -Champ 👊😎 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/V9zjeDZgAe
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) April 8, 2018
Elsewhere
On a momentous night in the UFC, Rose Namajunas defended her strawweight title against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Despite being the bookies’ underdog, the Colorado native defeated her Polish opponent in their rematch, getting the decision. In the best of the rest, Zabit Magomedsharipov defeated Kyle Bochniak in a war. Full results are below:
Main Card
Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision.
Women’s Strawweight: Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk via unanimous decision
Featherweight: Renato Moicano def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision.
Featherweight: Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision.
Lightweight: Chris Gruetzemacher def. Joe Lauzon via TKO.
Preliminary Card
Women’s Strawweight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Felice Herrig via split decision.
Lightweight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Evan Dunham via TKO.
Women’s Flyweight: Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Bec Rawlings via unanimous decision.
Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark def. Mike Rodriguez via unanimous decision.
