“We have to smash his face” – Khabib Nurmagomedov predicts end of Tony Ferguson fight in throwback video before UFC 220

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Khabib Nurmagomedov was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 223

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson seems set for 18 April at UFC 249. The pair have been scheduled to fight four times in the past, but haven’t been able to meet up.

This time, it is for the Lightweight title with Khabib 28-0 in his MMA career. Ferguson is 25-3 and is on a 12-fight winning streak.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson is set for UFC 249
Khabib Nurmagomedov (L) faces off against Tony Ferguson (R) during a press conference (Digital Trends)

Many have suggested that this would be one of the toughest tests for Khabib and his UFC reign, however, the Russian was confident of beating Ferguson way back in the day too.

A clipping from ‘Anatomy of a Fight’ from UFC 220 shows Khabib speaking with Brian Vega about the fight against Ferguson.

The Russian sounded confident and kept on saying “Easy money”. However, he also said he wanted to destroy Ferguson’s face:

“But we have to smash his face, brotha. We have to change his face, we gonna do this Insha Allah.”

Vega also wanted Khabib to trash talk while beating Ferguson in the ring, but the Russian had other plans on how to end it:

“Finish Kimura? What do you think of Kimura? I like Kimura.”

Ferguson misses out on UFC 223

Things didn’t workout for Ferguson in the championship bout at UFC 223. He missed the fight due to an injured knee and was replaced by Max Holloway.

However, Holloway was also ineligible to fight and he was replaced by Al Iaquinta. Khabib dominated his fight at UFC 223 and picked up the vacant Lightweight title.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father Abdulmanap are both great at several martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and and his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov give a press conference in Moscow on November 26, 2018. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

The Russian has been incredible in the Octagon ever since and has defended the title against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

However, Ferguson should be a different beast for Khabib and it will be interesting to see how the fight goes.

Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is the main fight for UFC 249
Tony Ferguson faces Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249 (Image credit: Getty)

Khabib is still confident of picking up the win but Ferguson has a ton of experience under his belt. The American is unpredictable in the Octagon and he could take the belt away from Khabib.

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