MMA and the UFC always seemed to have interesting news as fighters work their way to defeating opponents and earning their right to fight for the ultimate fighting champion title!
Yet again, the sport doesn’t let us know as new revolving around the lightweight title carries on with more drama. After Khabib has now finally confirmed that he will not be returning to the octagon until his teammates are released of their suspension (12 months), the UFC board decided he won’t hold onto the title until then either.
Now, the interim title is up for grabs for those deserving of it, which means Tony Ferguson is first in line, if he wants it.
Tony Declines Interim Title Fight
Just last week the interim title fight against Max Holloway was offered to Tony, but to the surprise of fighting fans, he declined. Ferguson later went to social media platforms and stated that he and his team deserve better for what they’ve worked for. In a way, many agree as the interim title just won’t make the cut. Ferguson want a fight for the real title, and he wants it against Khabib.
Many fans say he would’ve gotten the fight if he beat Max in the interim fight and taken on Khabib at the end of the year when he returns. However, Tony didn’t even give the idea a second thought and simply declined the entire fight against Max all together.
Now, fans of Ferguson are fearing that he might not appear in the octagon for most of the year as he waits for Khabib to return. However, since there’s a new fight for the interim title, we might not see him until 2020. Nothing relating to other fighting possibilities have been confirmed through. With Tony out, Dana White sets up a fight for the interim title with Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier, which is set to take place in April 2019 at UFC 236.
Khabib’s Manages Says McGregor and Ireland Afraid of a Rematch
In recent news, we also see Khabib’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz take on Conor McGregor for being afraid of a rematch. This came after the current lightweight champion forced him to tap out with a submission in the third round.
McGregor has said he wants a rematch, but never acted on the opportunity and how Ali states that he is afraid along with the whole Ireland. In fact, he also says that no one in Ireland even wants to spell “Rematch” as they are afraid of anything that starts with a “K”.
These talks could just be the manager talking Khabib up and showing off just how good he is. They could also be looking to start a fire within McGregor while he is still serving a suspension along with Khabib.
Many have been wanting to see these fighters get back in the octagon. Yet, at the same time, they think it’s pointless as most of McGregor’s fans think Khabib would take the fight once again.