Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are long-lasting rivals in the sport, but that hasn’t stopped Khabib from showing love to his fellow UFC legend.
Despite his legacy in the octagon, Ferguson recently broke the record for the most consecutive defeats in UFC history. At UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday, the veteran was quickly submitted by Michael Chiesa, extending his losing streak to eight straight — narrowly beating BJ Penn’s seven losses in a row.
While Tony Ferguson hasn’t made his mind up on retiring from combat sports, his aforementioned showing last weekend could have been his last in the octagon. Amid the rumors of his UFC resignation and possible refirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov shared a few kind words with Ferguson.
“It is not a surprise for me because he is 40 years old,” Khabib said after news of Ferguson’s potential retirement surfaced. “I just want to wish him all the best.”
“He is truly one of the best [to ever do it] in the UFC. I just want to wish him all the best, and his life is just beginning, it’s what I think, because he is just 40 years old.”
“He just finished his MMA career, now it’s going to be a different life. A much better life.”
Khabib went on to speak about the stature of his rivalry with Ferguson.
“In prime, my prime and his prime, it’s supposed to be a very interesting fight. But, what [can I] do?”
“He have couple time injuries, I have couple time injuries. It is what it is, you know. Sometimes we have a plan but God has his plan. We cannot control this.”
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov react to Tony Ferguson’s retirement below.
Related: Michael Chiesa taps out Tony Ferguson, Ferguson teases retirement
During their dominance in the lightweight division, fans were clamoring for a Khabib vs. Ferguson matchup.
The clash had the potential to be one of the biggest in UFC history given the Russian’s undefeated record and ‘El Cucuy’s 12-fight win streak at the time.
Though it never came to fruition, the UFC did attempt to book the fight on five separate occasions. Despite never actually competing against one another, Khabib vs. Ferguson is still considered one of the biggest rivalries and arguably the biggest ‘what if’ in the promotions history.
