Tough UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to face off against UFC interim champion Tony Ferguson for the undisputed title. With that in mind, the only UFC fighter to ever defeat “El Cucuy” inside the octagon has come forward with their thoughts on the upcoming match up.
Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson have been scheduled to fight a few times as of now. However, the fighter’s have yet to meet inside the octagon.
Following bad weight cuts and debilitating injuries, each match up has been disappointingly cancelled. However, Ferguson and Nurmagomedov are now set to fight for the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 223.
The highly anticipated live pay-per-view event goes down April 7 inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Now Michael Johnson, the only fighter to ever defeat Tony Ferguson under the UFC banner, has come forward with his thoughts on the fight.
Speaking to the UFC, Johnson offered his opinion.
“It’s gonna be incredible and I can’t wait to watch it. Tony keeps improving, Khabib’s improving as well and it’s gonna be a great fight for the fans. I think we’re gonna see the true lightweight champ come out of these two guys.”
“The key to beating him (Normagomedov) is staying off the ground and keeping him off of you. Keep it moving. Tony’s got great movement and the cardio to do it, and he’s gotta stay long and stay out of Khabib’s range of getting grabbed.”
“Absolutely. That’s how I think of it. Khabib’s gotta put a lot of pressure on him and he’s gonna get him down to the ground. That’s what he wants to do to win, everybody knows it, we all train to stop it, yet nobody has stopped it yet. So we’re all looking forward to seeing if Tony is gonna be the first one to stop it. Do I think so? I don’t think he’ll stop it, but I definitely think he has the skill and the ability to stall it out on the ground or work to get back up.”
“I could definitely say that it (the pressure) is more than I felt and it’s a different pressure. He feels along the lines of a middleweight or light heavyweight there when he’s on top of you and with the pressure he brings. I don’t know if it’s technique or just him being that physically strong. It’s probably a little bit of both.”
