Khabib on manager shooting down Ferguson fight: Those were his comments, not mine

Bloodyelbow.com

Last week, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, shut down any talk of a potential Tony Ferguson fight after claiming that ‘The Eagle’ is only interested in a big ‘money’ fight at the moment.

“So [we want] the biggest money fight he can make. Boxing, MMA, whatever. I love Tony Ferguson— he’s not that, I can tell you that,” he said. “One-hundred percent, Tony Ferguson is not the next fight, because Tony Ferguson — I need somebody who can sell pay-per-views.”

Abdelaziz’ comments didn’t go down well with the MMA community, as Khabib vs. Ferguson is a fight that has been years in the making and both men seem to destined to face each other.

When asked to clarify his position on the matter, Nurmagomedov was blunt and straight to the point.

Responding to a fan on Instagram, Khabib said his manager’s comments were not to be mistaken for his own, implying that he is still very much interested in defending his UFC lightweight title against ‘El Cucuy’.View image on Twitter

MMA TEAM DAGESTAN@MMATeamDagestan

@TeamKhabib reaction to fan outrage over the fight with @TonyFergusonXT 117 4:35 PM – Jan 7, 2019 55 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy

“Khabib your manager said you are not interested in tony fight cuz its not money fight. Bro don’t you remember the guy who said i’m here for legacy not money?!”

“My manager name Ali, my name is Khabib,” Khabib responded. “Do not confuse.”

Nurmagomedov’s next fight will likely not be announced until the undefeated Dagestani attends his disciplinary with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) later this month. Khabib is expected to be fined — and possibly suspended — for attacking Dillon Danis in the stands at UFC 229. Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the main event to defend his lightweight championship but, following the post-fight brawl, the NAC decided to withhold half of his $2 million purse.