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Ferguson: Khabib should be stripped of title after UFC 249 withdrawal

Jeff Bottari / UFC / Getty

Tony Ferguson wants the UFC to take away Khabib Nurmagomedov's lightweight title after he withdrew from UFC 249 on April 18.

"The guy does not want to fight," Ferguson told ESPN's Ariel Helwani on Wednesday. "He's scared, he's running. He should be stripped of his title."

A long-awaited clash between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson was set to headline the pay-per-view card, but the event was uprooted by the coronavirus pandemic. It was originally set for Brooklyn and had to be relocated, but a new venue has yet to be confirmed.

Nurmagomedov returned home to Russia to finish his training camp after preparing for the fight in San Jose, but new travel restrictions made it unlikely the titleholder would be able to make it to the April 18 fight. "The Eagle" announced Wednesday he officially would not be fighting at UFC 249 and is instead self-quarantining.

Ferguson told Helwani he's "a little bit pissed" because Nurmagomedov could've decided to stay in the United States.

"I get what he wanted to do," Ferguson said. "Obviously, he's here, his family is back home in Dagestan. It's what you gotta do."

Nurmagomedov-Ferguson had been scheduled four times previously and canceled each time for various reasons. "El Cucuy" made it clear he's willing to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere, and blames the 155-pound king for not doing the same.

"He obviously knew what he could do to help save this card," Ferguson said. "He didn't want to take any of those chances. Everybody's taking risks trying to do this stuff. He bailed out, man."

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