Nurmagomedov asks for fight 'whole world is waiting for' in callout to UFC
After Dana White bluntly revealed Khabib Nurmagomedov wouldn't get his long coveted fight with Tony Ferguson, "The Eagle" took to Instagram to issue some choice words to the UFC.
The lightweight contender accused the promotion of "hiding" division king Conor McGregor from him and lying to its fan base about his purported refusal to fight Jose Aldo. Nurmagomedov maintained he was game to tussle with the featherweight king, but unwilling to field the scrutiny that would accompany a victory over the physically smaller fighter.
"It is clear to everyone that you hiding Conor from me," Nurmagomedov wrote. "But stop lying to your fans like I don't want fight with Aldo, I'm ready to fight with anyone in my division. Give me relevant fight, so you won't be able to hide the belt from me after. But not the fight where people say after my victory: he is too small, Khabib too big for him etc."
The Russian then asked the promotion to pit him against Ferguson, a matchup he touted as one the "whole world is waiting for." Per White's recollection during a Wednesday media scrum, the UFC had put the wheels in motion to grant Nurmagomedov his wish, but put the kibosh on the bout when Ferguson asked to be paid as much as him.
A lightweight date with Aldo had also been posited, but White alleged Nurmagomedov's father - an active figure in his career - kept the matchup from materializing, much to the Brazilian's dismay.
Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson would likely be anointed a title eliminator if ever booked, as they've won eight and nine fights in a row, respectively.