The fight that the entire world has been clamoring for over the years apparently has hit another roadblock named Coronavirus!
Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is so close, and yet now seems further away than ever, and this time it’s through no fault of either athlete!
As the world continues to shut down due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the UFC was determined to make this fight happen. I understand their desire as the world has been waiting for these two to step into the octagon for so many years, and with everything going on in the world the hope of this fight happening was a bright spot, a much needed distraction, at least to the mixed martial arts community.
I guess the universe has other plans for Tony and Khabib, and for the mixed martial arts fan base. Rather than letting us know that we will never see these two fight one another, the MMA Gods have continually teased us, bringing us to the point of climax and then telling us, never mind, leaving us to wallow in our sorrows.
As these 2 athletes continue to get older and with the champ having made statements that once he wins 30 fights, and if he is still undefeated at that point he will more than likely walk away, the timetable for these two to dance is getting smaller and smaller every single second of the day.
28 wins for Khabib heading into this bout and if you believe his statement about retiring after 30, this fight is truly in jeopardy of not just not happening in April, but ever! For the avid mixed martial arts fan, this is heartbreaking news.
These 2 men are without a doubt the top 2 lightweights on the planet. They want to fight one another in the worst way. While both have had their reasons for pulling out of their previous bookings against one another, make no mistake it isn’t out of fear, or unwillingness to want this fight, circumstances, some that have been beyond their control have gotten in the way of both athletes with every booking.
There has been no official announcement from the UFC that this fight isn’t happening, but every indicator out there tells us differently.
Khabib announced on Instagram that he is stuck in Dagestan and is not allowed to travel outside of the country. He felt leaving the United States where he had been training at American Kickboxing Academy was the right thing for him to do because the fight was seemingly headed to Abu Dhabi. However, the UAE has suspended all travel in-and-out of the country meaning even though he’s closer to that region while he is at home, he might as well be on the other side of the planet because if the fight were to take place in Abu Dhabi he wouldn’t be allowed to enter the country.
Oh, what could have been a fight for the ages no doubt, is now relegated to the world of fantasy matchmaking and playing it out via computer simulation or a video game to try and determine the outcome, because I don’t think we’re ever going to see this fight!
So many unanswered questions, can Tony get back on his feet after being taken down by Khabib? Can Khabib take the brutality from standing and banging with a truly artistic and violent striker in Ferguson? This fight not happening will truly change the path of the lightweight division.
Khabib vs. Tony, the fight we all want to see, may very well end up also being known as the fight we never saw!
Christopher James has been in the MMA industry for 15 years, Working as a ring announcer for promotions like the XFC, Island Fights, Combat Night and Fight Nights Global during his career. Chris’ love for the sport and the athletes that partake in it led him to writing and doing face to face interviews with the athletes he admired and respected. Chris isn’t conventional by any stretch of the imagination, he has his own style, and takes pride in not being a “cookie-cutter” member of the media. Unique and sometimes controversial takes are what he brings to the table, forcing folks to think a little differently about the world of MMA. He also has a love for music as he has been a dj for 25 years and his love for music gets brought to the MMA world when he gets his guests to sing on his weekly show Cage Side with Christopher James which can be seen Wednesday nights on FACEBOOK LIVE, and soon via podcast.