Khabib Nurmagomedov (photo via UFC)

By FCF Staff

From a meritocratic perspective, few can argue that Tony Ferguson hasn’t earned a showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the latter’s manager claims the UFC’s lightweight champ is not going to fight “El Cucuy” next.

Since Ferguson is currently riding an eleven fight win streak, which includes winning the interim title, there’s been widespread calls for him to face Nurmagomedov next. But, while talking with MMA Fighting recently, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz was quoted saying this:

“The biggest money fight he can make. At the end of the day, Khabib doesn’t need to fight anybody else for his legacy. He’s done what he’s done. He’s 27-0, he’s 12-0 in the UFC, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been caught, he’s never been knocked down. Let’s talk about a GOAT. No PEDs. We talk about the greatest of all-time, I think that he should be on top of the list, because he never lost to anybody. He’s never lost, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been stitched, nothing.

“So [we want] the biggest money fight he can make. Boxing, MMA, whatever. I love Tony Ferguson — he’s not that, I can tell you that. One-hundred percent, Tony Ferguson is not the next fight, because Tony Ferguson — I need somebody who can sell pay-per-views. At the end of the day, it will be the exact same situation. Khabib was supposed to fight Eddie Alvarez, remember that? When he got taken out [in place of Conor McGregor], we understood it because Conor’s going to bring pay-per-views. We need people who can help us sell pay-per-views, and that’s it.”

Nurmagomedov is coming off a submission win over Conor McGregor in October. Due to the post-fight brawl that occurred at the event, however, the champion is facing disciplinary action and a possible suspension from the Nevada Commission.