Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn't blame Tony Ferguson for not retiring

Khabib Nurmagomedov has spoken candidly about Tony Ferguson’s decision to avoid MMA retirement.

For so many years, mixed martial arts fans wanted one thing above any other – for Tony Ferguson to collide with Khabib Nurmagomedov, ideally with the UFC lightweight championship on the line.

Alas, despite the bout being booked on five separate occasions, the MMA gods simply did not want these two men to compete against one another inside the Octagon.

It’ll forever be remembered as the ‘what could’ve been’ match-up alongside GSP vs Anderson Silva and perhaps Fedor vs Lesnar, and since the last time they were supposed to square off just before the start of the pandemic, both men have gone in dramatically different directions.

Read more: Khabib Nurmagomedov destroys Tony Ferguson in his autobiography

Tony Ferguson has had a particularly notable decline with ‘El Cucuy’ currently riding a five-fight losing streak. He’s been beaten by Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler and, most recently, Nate Diaz.

However, despite these setbacks, the veteran has insisted that he wants to keep fighting.

In a recent interview with UFC Russia, Khabib gave his thoughts on Tony’s future.

“His time is up and there’s no way to get it back,” Khabib said. “Not Khabib, not Tony, nobody. We had our time and it passed. He continues to fight. He needs money. You have to pay your bills in the US. And I’m sure that since he’s Californian, I know all the Californian fighters, everything they earn, [taxes] take half of that.

“I think he keeps fighting for money to pay bills and taxes. He has a family. I think he has two kids. I don’t blame him, but you can’t get back time. When your time goes away, it doesn’t ask your name.”

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