Manager: ‘One hundred percent’ Ferguson is not Khabib’s next fight

Bloodyelbow.com

In an ideal scenario, Tony Ferguson is the next in line to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title. It is a fight that had been put off for four times now due to issues on the part of both men.

Facing “El Cucuy” could be the biggest legacy fight for the undefeated Khabib right now, but his manager Ali Abdelaziz is putting more focus on money matters.

“At the end of the day, Khabib doesn’t need to fight anybody else for his legacy,” Abdelaziz told MMA Fighting. “He’s done what he’s done. He’s 27-0, he’s 12-0 in the UFC, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been caught, he’s never been knocked down.

“Let’s talk about a GOAT. No PEDs. We talk about the greatest of all-time, I think that he should be on top of the list, because he never lost to anybody. He’s never lost, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been stitched, nothing.”

Following this argument, Abdelaziz says the Ferguson fight can be held off for later.

“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.

“At the end of the day, it will be the exact same situation. Khabib was supposed to fight Eddie Alvarez, remember that? When he got taken out [in place of Conor McGregor], we understood it because Conor’s going to bring pay-per-views. We need people who can help us sell pay-per-views, and that’s it.”

The biggest money fight for Khabib is still against McGregor, which UFC president Dana White foresees happening in 2019 “as long as everything goes right.”