Tony Ferguson says UFC told him he’s fighting winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Dustin Poirier
- ‘El Cucuy’ confirms he was asked to be backup for UFC 242 title fight but says ‘I’m not backup for anybody, I deserve more than that’
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Tony Ferguson has said the UFC told him he will face the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier, who face off in a title unification fight at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
“El Cucuy” (26-3, 12 KOs) is on a 12-fight win streak in the UFC but was stripped of his interim lightweight title following a freak knee injury in April 2018. The injury saw him pull out of a bout against Nurmagomedov, who went on to claim the lightweight title by beating late replacement Al Iaquinta.
Poirier then became the new interim champion, beating Max Holloway earlier this year, and now challenges the undefeated Khabib – who was suspended for nine months for his actions in a post-fight brawl after beating Conor McGregor in his first title defence last October.
“Have they told me [he’s getting the next title shot]? I’m pretty sure they have, man. That’s what management, they’re letting everybody know, that’s what they’re telling me, that’s what the UFC let me know before this fight and during and after,” Ferguson told Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
Ferguson confirmed the UFC had asked him to be a backup for Saturday’s fight in case either fighter gets injured or fails to make weight before the bout. He said he turned them down.
“It was talked about, first of all I’m not back up for anybody. I have a belt, I won 12 in a row, the next fight I have is gonna be for the belt, it has to have the hype, man, it deserves a full camp and lead-up time,” he said. “They put it out there but they didn’t make it sound so interesting. I’ve fought for my title, I deserve more than that.”
