Khabib kicks Tony Ferguson’s belt away in heated UFC 249 press conference

Tony Ferguson came spoiling for a fight with UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov on Friday, long before the pair are set to meet in what had already promised to be an explosive match-up at UFC 249 in Brooklyn on April 18.

“I’m a contract killer and I’m going to slap you,” was among the few printable tirades the American challenger launched at the champion from Dagestan.

Fight fans gathered inside the T-Mobile Centre in Las Vegas for the event’s official press launch roared their approval as Ferguson (25-3) – gloves on and a baseball in hand “in case they run” – let the invectives fly.

“You’re f****** fat! You’re about the same size as [Daniel] Cormier right now,” was another of El Cucuy’s choice cuts.

For his part Nurmagomedov (28-0) mainly managed to keep his cool. Until, that is, the event looked poised to boil over when Ferguson placed his interim belt on the stage and Nurmagomedov seemed to attempt to kick it into the crowd.

“Why people don’t like him? Because he’s a stupid guy,” was how the champ attempted to clear the air over his thoughts of his looming opponent.

“Nobody understands him. He’s stupid. That’s why nobody likes him. But he’s a very good fighter and I respect his skill. It’s the biggest fight of the year.”

The clash is looming as the biggest the UFC has seen in years, with Ferguson quite obviously looking to get under The Eagle’s skin with references to his country, his family, his eating and even his training habits.

Many have tried the same move before, with limited to no positive result as former champ Conor McGregor found when Nurmagomedov took particular offence to his tirades – and then dismantled the Irishman over four brutal rounds at UFC 229 back in October 2018.

But the 36-year-old Ferguson often across more than a decade in the game has come across as more convincingly off-the-rails than even McGregor can play at times and that promises to add fireworks to a fight that was an almost-instant sell out.

The big question hanging over the fight is whether Ferguson can find a way to unravel the 31-year-old Nurmagomedov when the cage door closes, regardless of what goes on beforehand.

“I don’t need my daddy to hold my hand,” he suggested on stage, in reference to the fact that Nurmagomedov trains with his father.

To add to the air of bizarreness, Ferguson’s baseball then made an encore appearance later in the afternoon in the hands of none other than UFC strawweight champ Zhang Weili.

“I’ll bring the fuel and the fire,” Ferguson had said at one stage.

And Nurmagomedov was the only one in the room who seemed willing to argue with that fact.