UFC 223: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Father Still Want Future Tony Ferguson Fight

Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father Abdulmanap are still hoping a meeting with Tony Ferguson will take place in the future.

Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were set to clash at UFC 223 in Brooklyn, New York, on April 7 for the undisputed lightweight title in what would be the fourth time they were both scheduled to face each other, with the previous three occasions all resulting in cancellations.

But, the dream MMA fight was not fourth-time lucky in the news that was cruelly broken on April Fool's Day as Ferguson officially pulled out Sunday after he tore the lateral collateral ligament on his knee in a freak accident that happened Thursday and will now need surgery.

It is not all bad news though, as featherweight champion Max Holloway will incredibly be stepping up on just six days notice to take on Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title instead.

However, most MMA fans had been waiting for Ferguson and Nurmagomedov to finally meet in the octagon and put their impressive combined 35-fight winning streaks on the line. With the fight between themselves seemingly cursed, with UFC President Dana White claiming he would never book it again, Nurmagomedov's father, Abdulmanap, who is also his coach, says both him and his son have not given up on the fight just yet.

"As long as Ferguson is able to walk, we’ll demand this fight," Abdulmanap told TASS on Monday, as per RT. "We’re ready to fight with him any time and under any circumstances. We’re wishing him to get well, and waiting for him."

"The Eagle" is in agreement given how dominant he and Ferguson have been in the lightweight division as well as their long history with each other.

"I still want this fight, even [though] they change my opponent, I still want this fight," Nurmagomedov​ told the MMA Hour. "He has a 10-fight win streak. We have big history, maybe not perfect history, but big history. People still want this fight, Now, I have to focus on Max Holloway."

While Nurmagomedov vs Holloway is a legitimate super fight, the Hawaiian will be fighting without a full camp while he is also recovering from an ankle injury which saw him pull out of his own title fight with Frankie Edgar last month at UFC 222.

Regardless, the unbeaten Dagestan native is not underestimating him as his father labeled Holloway as a "very dangerous opponent" who represents as interesting a match-up as Ferguson, boasting a notable 12-fight winning streak as well.

"He’s a very dangerous opponent, who dropped Jose Aldo in his last bout," Abdulmanap added. "He’s very fast and a smart fighter, so this is going to be a very interesting fight. I think Holloway is not any less interesting than Ferguson."

Meanwhile, in addition to Conor McGregor getting stripped of his lightweight title when the UFC 223 main event begins, Ferguson too will be stripped of his interim title, according to White.