Tag: Tony Ferguson

Conor McGregor’s coach: COVID-19 restrictions won’t hamper Khabib, Ferguson – if fight happens

Aside from conditioning, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will be just fine, according to John Kavanagh – assuming UFC 249 happens.

Despite endless assurances from UFC president Dana White that the UFC 249 main event will happen as promised, John Kavanagh doesn’t see [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] taking place next month.

Kavanagh, the head coach of former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor at SBG Ireland, has an interest in Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) vs. Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) coming to fruition, as McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) could very well face the winner.

After four failed bookings between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic looms over UFC 249, which is scheduled for April 18 in an unknown location. White has said a venue is nearly confirmed.

Until Nurmagomedov and Ferguson actually step in the octagon, there will be lingering doubt about the fight happening. Kavanagh said he doesn’t think it will get over the finish line, but if it does, he presumes both athletes will be able to make due with the unique circumstances (via Twitter):

If the April 18th fight happens. Honestly I cant see how it does but let’s be optimistic and say it does then what effect will 4-5 weeks of no real grappling/sparring have. Only focus will be conditioning. Personally I think it’ll have almost zero effect on skill. 1/n

The fighters have 2many years of consistent training for a couple of weeks to have any real effect on technique or timing. I think the only real effect is theyll come in completely injury free. No bruising, no tweaked knees, nothing. That been said I just cant see it happening 🤷‍♂️

The coronavirus outbreak already has caused the UFC to postpone three scheduled events. Kavanagh said he thinks it will stop a fourth, UFC 249, but White remains insistent that the MMA world will get to witness one of the most highly anticipated fights of all time.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 24: Get used to this list for a while

With the global MMA schedule now at a virtual standstill, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings will be rather stagnant for a few weeks.

While Cage Warriors was able to slip in an event this past weekend in England, the global MMA schedule is now at a virtual standstill.

Concern over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has led government bodies around the world to ban public gatherings, and travel restrictions have resulted in even more logistical challenges, leaving the sport’s biggest promotions unable to host events.

As such, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA rankings aren’t likely to change until April 18, and even then, only provided UFC president Dana White can make good on his promise of finding a location to host a much anticipated lightweight title fight between the top two 155-pounders in the world with undefeated current champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and former interim titleholder [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC).

The contest is set to headline UFC 249, which was originally expected to take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Despite the challenges, White has repeatedly insisted the card will take place on that date.

In the meantime, take a look at the latest rankings, which still see UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) as the top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Spinning Back Clique: How much is Khabib vs. Ferguson worth? What fights to make after the pandemic

How much would you pay to watch just the UFC 249 headliner, assuming Dana White can pull that off?

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the fallout from fights canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, dare to talk a little UFC 249, and more.

SHOW RUNDOWN:

  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] was one of the big fights canceled (err, “postponed”) because of the coronavirus outbreak, but not before things got interesting with [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] volunteering to step in on six days’ notice before UFC London was ultimately scrapped. The question is: When the schedule gets up and running again, what’s the fight to make?
  • [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruick was another lost fight because of the coronavirus outbreak, as it was set to headline UFC Columbus this weekend. Similar question as before: Should Ngannou jump back into this matchup when we get back to normal, or should he consider some other option?
  • Despite UFC president Dana White insisting that UFC 249 will go on as planned on April 18 in a new location, there remains doubt – and rightfully so. But let’s just say for the sake of argument that White could make a miracle happen and give us [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] – but only that fight. Nothing else. How much would you be willing to pay for just that one fight?
  • There’s no denying that the coronavirus pandemic has put the sport on hold. How long exactly? Nobody knows. So for the time being, we offer a little advice to how fighters could help themselves with the conversations they’re having both behind the scenes and out in public.
  • All of that being said, there was some MMA action this past weekend at Cage Warriors 113 in Manchester, England, which took place behind closed doors. Did we identify any UFC-ready talent from the card?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 21 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

Dana White says he has location for UFC 249; confirms closed-door event

UFC president Dana White offered a promising update for Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.

UFC president Dana White remains confident as ever that [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] will fight for the lightweight title at UFC 249 on April 18.

In fact, White said he has a new location sorted for the anticipated Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) vs. Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) bout after it was forced out of Barclays Center in New York, by the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Despite already postponing three UFC cards due to the global pandemic, White remains hellbent on overcoming any obstacles to ensure the fight happens. On Monday, the UFC boss confirmed to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that he has determined where the contest will be held, however, outside of confirming it would be a closed-door event, played coy.

“I do (know where it is),” White said on Instagram Live. “But I’m not ready to tell you yet. I know lots of things. … There’s not going to be any fans there. It’s going to be a closed event.”

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White has been bold in his assertion that, despite any hiccups, UFC business will press on. He’s promised that his organization will be “the first” sport to get back in full swing, but that attitude has been met with some criticism.

Although White snapped back at that criticism this past week, he said he’s not forcing anyone to align with his stance. White said any UFC fighter or staff member with concerns will be afforded all the leeway they need.

“Everybody who is going to be involved in this thing is going to be because they want to be, not because they have to be or they have to do anything,” White said. “Believe me: We didn’t just start thinking about safety when the coronavirus popped up. Health and safety, these are things that normal businesses that are out there right now don’t necessarily have to think about on a daily basis. Healthy and safety is something we’ve been doing long before the coronavirus and we’ll be doing it long after the coronavirus is gone. This is just normal (expletive) for us.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to Russia to complete UFC 249 training amid coronavirus pandemic

Khabib Nurmagomedov is back home less than a month ahead of his scheduled UFC 249 fight against Tony Ferguson.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is back home less than a month ahead of UFC 249.

Lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) is scheduled to face [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) on April 18, but once again they are encountering plenty of hurdles.

The matchup already has been canceled four times dating back to 2015, and while it looks like it may be in jeopardy once again, UFC president Dana White has offered assurances that the fight will happen, just likely not in the U.S.

The global coronavirus pandemic has forced the majority of MMA gyms across the world to close, including American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., where Nurmagomedov usually spends the latter parts of his training camps.

In a recent interview with UFC Unfiltered, Nurmagomedov training partner and former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said after the government’s ban on large public gatherings, the gym remained open for Nurmagomedov and a few training partners for two hours a day.

But now, Nurmagomedov has returned to Russia to close out his training camp, Russian outlet TASS reports.

And with Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez mentioning Abu Dhabi as a possible landing spot for UFC 249, Nurmagomedov certainly would be geographically closer to his potential fight location if that came to fruition. The same would not be true for the California-based Ferguson.

A new location for the event has yet to be determined.

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Video: Reminders of why most of you want Khabib vs. Ferguson to happen at UFC 249

The MMA world mostly is at a standstill thanks to coronavirus, but that’s not stopping the hope for Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.

The MMA world mostly is at a standstill right now thanks to – and stop us if you’ve heard this one lately – the global coronavirus pandemic.

The UFC postponed its planned show for this past Saturday in London the week of the event and pushed back its next two planned shows in Columbus, Ohio, and Portland, Ore., with no new dates scheduled. Nine days ago, Bellator scrapped its event in Connecticut on the day of the fight with just a few hours’ notice.

By and large, fans seem to be on board with what’s going on. After all, what other choice do any of us have? Much of the world has completely shut down in an effort to contain the virus’ outbreak, and that includes MMA – for now, anyway.

And while most fans probably can survive if they have to wait for Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards, Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris or even Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik – though there certainly were title implications there – it’s perhaps been a different story when it comes to the scheduled main event for UFC 249.

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UFC 249 was set for April 18 at Barclays Center in the New York borough of Brooklyn. But large gatherings won’t be back on by then, so Brooklyn is out. The card needs a home, and the UFC isn’t yet sure if doing it at its Apex facility in Las Vegas will be possible since the Nevada Athletic Commission currently has suspended all fighter licenses. It is set to meet Wednesday to figure out the next step, but it’s quite likely Vegas is off the table, too.

What we do know is that UFC president Dana White is on record saying he’s committed to making, at the very least, the main event between lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC). He even posted a fan-made poster to imply the UFC would hold the show on the moon if it had to.

It’s evidence of the interest in the fight itself, which has become known as arguably the most talked about fight in MMA history to still never happen. It’s been booked four times, and four times it’s been scrapped – with the reasons falling twice on each side.

The mere thought of the fifth time falling apart, too, has been enough to drive fans batty – and White might as well be counted in that group.

“We’re postponing the next three events, but Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib (on) April 18 is still on,” White said on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” this past week. “That will still happen. We’re going to follow these guidelines to not have more than 10 people in a room. We’re hoping this all clears up by April. This fight is going to happen. No crowd – whatever it takes. It probably won’t even be in the United States, but this fight is going to happen.”

From all appearances, White and the UFC seem to be pot committed to keeping what could be one of its most lucrative pay-per-view events of the year on schedule, even if there’s no publicly announced plan in place yet.

For now, things still may be up in the air. But we know one thing: People want to see the fight finally happen, which is why the UFC hasn’t been willing to chalk it up on the same postponement list with the others yet.

Will it happen as planned April 18, be it behind closed doors in Vegas, behind closed doors out of the country, or (we kid, but …) behind closed doors on the moon? Time will tell.

But until then, refresh your memory in the video above for part of why this has heretofore been a fantasy matchup that most fans hope still becomes a reality.

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Ben Askren breaks down keys to victory in Khabib vs. Ferguson matchup at UFC 249

Ben Askren breaks down the UFC 249 lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

[autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] knows a thing or two about being a strong grappler.

One of the most anticipated matchups in UFC history between lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] is scheduled to take place April 18 in the UFC 249 headliner.

No one has been able to stop Nurmagomedov, who has run through all opposition, mostly by pinning opponents to the mat and punishing them with relative ease.

But in Ferguson, Nurmagomedov faces someone with serious threat off of his back, whether it be his slick jiu-jitsu game, or sharp elbows from bottom.

Speaking to Submission Radio, former Olympic wrestler Askren gave his take on the matchup and why Ferguson might have what it takes to stop Nurmagomedov.

“Khabib’s obviously going to get takedowns, and he’s been so dominant with ground-and-pound,” Askren said. “But at the same time, Tony is so active off his back and he’s good with the elbows and he’s got a lot of tricky stuff. I think it’s going to be totally fascinating. I’m excited to see what happens.

“Tony’s a great fit, because he’s not going to stay put on bottom. Tony can take a lot of damage, which, you know – Khabib will dish it out. Tony doesn’t get tired. And then Tony’s a high-volume striker. He’s not a power puncher, which I don’t think is the right mix to beat Khabib because I think you have to kind of fight him hard, stuff a few takedowns and volume strike him. And I think that’s how you’re going to beat him – and that’s what Tony does. So there’s a possibility.”

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But with uncertainty surrounding the event due to the coronavirus outbreak, Askren urged the UFC to proceed with the fight no matter what, even if it means sacrificing the rest of the card.

“The one thing I said last night was, let’s not get greedy, Dana – let’s make this really simple,” Askren said. “All we need is Tony and Khabib. We don’t need a (expletive) undercard. So in America they’re doing 10 people maximum – you can’t have more than 10 people in a group. So you’ve got Tony, Khabib, three judges. But, you could also have the judges be remote. So you don’t actually have to have them there.

“Your referee, you have Dana, you have Bruce Buffer and you have Joe Rogan, maybe. Maybe we take the judges out and make the judges remote at a remote location and we give (the fighters) each two coaches or something, or one coach. I think there’s a way to do it to keep it under 10 people and broadcast it.”

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VIDEO: Sean O’Malley shows off his Tony Ferguson-level workout all with a joint in his mouth

Well, that was impressive.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is taking his training to another level – the [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] level.

The rising bantamweight prospect shared an Instagram video on Wednesday afternoon to show off his new training regimen inspired by one of the most violent and unorthodox fighters on the UFC roster, “El Cucuy.”

On top of going through a Ferguson-style workout, O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) miraculously managed to do it without dropping a joint from his mouth.

Impressive.

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O’Malley recently made a successful comeback to MMA after almost a two-year layoff. He defeated Alberto Quiñonez at UFC 248 in Las Vegas.

Below is O’Malley’s hilarious Ferguson video:

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Khabib Numagomedov: ‘Any place, I don’t care’ where Tony Ferguson fight happens

The coronavirus pandemic is threatening the highly anticipated UFC 249 headliner, but Khabib Nurmagmedov is willing to do what it takes.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the UFC is doing everything in its power to make UFC 249 happen – and thus save the long-anticipated megafight between lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and former interim champ [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] finally happen.

The company announced Monday that all events through April 11 are canceled. UFC 249 is scheduled for April 18 but will not be held at Barclays Center in New York, where it was originally slated, and likely not anywhere in the U.S.

As far as the defending champ is concerned, though, he’s willing to go wherever they’ll be allowed, so long as he’s able to fight.

“Honestly I don’t care,” Nurmagomedov said Tuesday during an Instagram live chat hosted by his manager, Ali Abdelaziz. “It’s going to be good if fight happens in the U.S. because I am here already for like one-and-a-half month. I’ve been training, and from this day we have like 30 days before the fight. Almost one month, and it’s going to be very good if we fight here in the U.S. But if not, any place. Any place, I don’t care.”

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Nurmagomedov acknowledged that health is of the utmost importance. But he also said that if he and Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) and their families are healthy then the event should continue, limited to 100 people in a closed-door facility.

“The most important thing is to be healthy,” Nurmagomedov said. “If we’re healthy, our family is healthy – this is the most important thing right now. We have to take care of ourselves. But if we’re healthy, OK, on this card, we have 13 fights. That’s 26 fighters and their corner. If they’re healthy and the UFC people who make show, like judges, athletic commission and everything – we need maximum 100 people inside the arena. Close the arena, 100 healthy people come inside and make the show. Put the camera, turn on pay-per-view, and all of us can make money. Everyone can fight.”

Nurmagomedov also sees the fight as a reason to entertain fans stuck at home, many of whom are expected to be under quarantine.

“People who have quarantine and sit home, they have fun, they watch fights,” he said. “Fighters go to the arena, they have fun, they do their job. I think we just need maximum 100 people to make this fight. One arena and 100 healthy people around and put a couple camera and show this around the world – the two best lightweights of all time. This is a very important fight.”

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At the end of the day,  Nurmagomedov understands what’s going on in the world, but he wants nothing more than to settle the longstanding questions on whom is the better fighter. And he expects to hear about a location from UFC president Dana White soon.

“Right now I am in my training camp since December,” the champ said. “January, February and now March, I hope the fight is going to happen. This is a very important fight, because the lightweight division have to move. We have to move. I don’t want – right now in lightweight division there’s a couple guys with six-win streak, seven-win streak. A lot of contenders come. I don’t want to hang the lightweight division. We do fight with Tony Ferguson, and we have to know who is the next contender.

“This is very important. Not just for me, for the UFC, for the fans – this is very important for the lightweight division. This is why I really want to fight with him. We have to fight, and I think the next couple days – yesterday I talked with Dana – Dana say they’re going to do everything that they can to keep this fight. We’ll see. Next couple days Dana is going to send us location.”

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All business: Tony Ferguson taking his training to new heights … in jeans

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it turns out Tony Ferguson is yet to exercise all the training methods.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it turns out [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] is yet to exercise all the training methods.

We might be in the middle of a global pandemic, but that won’t stop Ferguson from training in preparation for his title fight vs. champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249.

Or what he considers active rest after a business trip. I mean he’s still in his jeans, and he’s jumping and rolling all over the place.

Will the fifth time be the charm? I guess people weren’t joking when they said wrap Ferguson and Nurmagomedov in bubble wrap until the fight. That, unfortunately. could not be more accurate.

But in the meantime, don’t expect Ferguson to tone down his training methods, despite many adamant that this fight is cursed.

UFC 249 is still tentatively scheduled for April 18, though UFC president Dana White recently revealed it’s not likely to take place at its originally scheduled location of Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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