‘Devastated’ Tony Ferguson targets Conor McGregor after UFC 209 fight cancellation

As for what comes next, there is a school of thought that Ferguson could now be in pole position to fight McGregor next due to Nurmagomedov’s weight cut issues. Nevertheless, the UFC will probably schedule Nurmagomedov and Ferguson and Johnson will have to wait for his turn.

Tony Ferguson was all set to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the vacant UFC Interim Lightweight Title at UFC 209, before Nurmagomedov pulled out.

But according to Nate Diaz, he wouldn’t be so hard to deal with if he felt like the UFC had his back. While dos Anjos managed to dominate then-champion Anthony Pettis to take the crown, it was Nurmagomedov who was seen as the true king of the division.

“I know Dana came out and said I should have called the UFC doctor, or called (UFC medical claims official) Briana [Mattison], but I never did this before”, he said.

UFC president Dana White said: “It’s obviously a huge blow”. A broken rib forced him out of that contest, however, extending his layoff through April 2016 – good for a two-year hiatus from the sport. “I’ve earned every single right of the way”, Ferguson added.

El Cucuy could have also featured on the night even if The Eagle wasn’t able to compete, as he turned down the chance to fight Michael Johnson and avenge his only UFC loss.

“I was ready and willing!”

“The thing is that he [Ferguson] was devastated”, White said at the post-fight press conference. Ferguson acknowledged that he barely made weight himself, and he empathized with Nurmagomedov.

“I bring the highest numbers with Conor”, he said. It was just something that he had to go through.

White stated that Nurmagomedov got within six pounds of making weight when things awry. But if UFC star Nate Diaz doesn’t snag a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor, he’d love a rematch after an upset defeat at UFC on FOX 17. The 28-year-old is expecting the birth of his first child in May while he has also been actively pursuing a super fight with Floyd Mayweather.

In the main event on Saturday, Tyron Woodley beat Stephen Thompson to retain his welterweight championship. The UFC promoted an undercard bout between strawweights Amanda Cooper and Cynthia Calvillo onto the pay-per-view portion of the show.