Ferguson says UFC met his terms, vows to derail Nurmagomedov's 'hype train'
Now that Tony Ferguson has gotten his due and proper, he's ready to prove Khabib Nurmagomedov can be beaten.
"El Cucuy" joined "MMAjunkie Radio" on Monday to dish on his upcoming bout with his fellow lightweight contender, revealing the promotion finally came around to his terms after his request for a fight purse akin to Nurmagomedov's temporarily brought negotiations to a standstill. Ferguson's persistence had prompted the Russian to offer him $200,000 to agree to the fight, but the California product was unmoved by the gesture.
"They met my standards," Ferguson said, according to MMAjunkie's Mike Bohn and Justin Park. "Khabib's offer I threw right out the window immediately. That was some trashy kind of thing. But we're good to go. We're full swing ahead. ... We worked out financial terms. I've earned my stripes in this division. I've put in my time. I've put in my work. I've put in my effort, especially when no fans were watching when I didn't have cameras on me."
Ferguson then channeled his inner hype man, admitting he was chomping at the bit to hand Nurmagomedov his first career loss and promising to cut his highly touted foe down to size when they meet for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209 on March 4.
"This dude has never wrestled with a California grizzly. I'm going to come at this dude hard. I don't know what kind of bears they have in Dagestan. I've said it before: I don't care how many steaks your parents put around your neck to get the animals to play with you. I've been roughing it since I was little. This is a hype train I'm going to love to derail.
"I'm a whole completely different animal, and he's never seen anyone as ferocious as me inside that Octagon. I'm going to put fear in this kid. I can't wait to slam this dude. I can't wait to mop the map with this guy."
The pair of elite lightweights have been scheduled to fight twice before, with each pulling out once due to injury. Ferguson owns the division's longest active winning streak with nine straight conquests, while Nurmagomedov has gone a perfect 8-0 in the Octagon.