Tony Ferguson Reacts To Khabib Nurmegomedov's Withdrawal From UFC 249: 'We Scared Him'

Tony Ferguson is calling out Khabib Nurmagomedov for being “scared” after the latter bowed out of their fight at UFC 249.

Ferguson is not convinced on Nurmagomedov’s reason for withdrawing from the bout, saying that the UFC Lightweight Champion “bailed out” despite having the chance to fly to the States and continue with the scheduled card set on April 18.

“Khabib, I believe he already knew that he wasn’t going to fight,” Ferguson told ESPN as he urged the UFC to strip the Russian champion of his belt. “He bailed out, man. He bailed out.”

“We scared him. He had the opportunity to come back from Abu Dhabi. He has the power to take a plane and come back. This is the second time we punked him out. I’ve been doing the exact same thing for 8 years. To and from work, going in there and busting my ass, making sure I’m taking care of business.,” added the American, who also threw verbal jabs towards Irish superstar Conor McGregor.

“I’m a hitman. Khabib and Conor running around with their tails between their legs like a f****** dog. I run with the dog’s man, and these guys ain’t dog. They’re a bunch of p******. Khabib’s a b****. I told him I was gonna mop the f****** floor with his hat, the dude jammed out.”

Nurmagomedov explained that his decision is made due to reasons beyond his control, citing Russia’s lockdown measures in the country’s combat against the Coronavirus.

“Staying home in quarantine and reading the reaction of people to the situation around my fight, it turns out that the whole world should be in quarantine,” Nurmagomedov wrote in his announcement on Wednesday.

“Governments of all countries, famous people around the world urge people to follow all safety requirements in order to limit the spread of the disease, to save people, and (I am) the only one relieved of all obligations and must demonstrate free will and train flying around the world, for the sake of fight? I understand everything, and I’m definitely upset more than you to cancel the fight, probably like all others, I had many plans after the fight, but I can’t control it all.”

The UFC is one of the only few organizations left pushing through with its scheduled events as the sports industry, in general, has absorbed the blow brought by COVID-19.