Preparing for the fight with Ferguson, Hardy's fears and McGregor's plans: what they say about Nurmagomedov in the world of MMA

“Habib is constantly training”

Russian fighter of the Absolute Fighting Championship (UFC) Habib Nurmagomedov may soon begin preparations for the fight with the American Tony Ferguson. This was reported in the team of the current world champion in the light weight category.

“Habib is constantly training, he is in shape. Targeted training may begin at the beginning of 2020, ”the TASS team cited.

There is no doubt that Nurmagomedov really devotes time to training. On his Instagram page, he posted a warm-up video on one of the beaches.

“I have never met successful people who sleep before dinner. Wake up in the morning, people, ”the soldier addressed the subscribers.

View this Instagram post

Posted by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) Nov 30, 2019 at 10:59 PST

In late November, it became known that Ferguson would be Nurmagomedov’s next rival. First, the Russian gave his consent to the fight, and then the ex-holder of the lightweight belt. The meeting will be held April 18 in New York.

At the moment, there is no other information about the upcoming UFC tournament. However, another Russian fighter Zabit Magomedsharipov, who is a sparring partner of Nurmagomedov, hinted that he might appear on the undercard of the battle. On his page on social networks, he said that soon his fans will receive good news. The hashtag # 18 April was attached to the post.

"Will do what is usual"

Despite the fact that there is more than five months left before the fight, experts, fans and colleagues of future rivals are already making predictions about its outcome. Many agree that Ferguson will become one of the most formidable rivals in Nurmagomedov’s entire career. So, representative of the welterweight division Dan Hardy suggested that the American could defeat the Russian. At the same time, he added that the likelihood of this is too small.

“If Tony does not succeed in defeating Habib, I would very much like to see his meeting with Conor McGregor. But it may happen that Nurmagomedov gives up the title due to cuts at the very beginning of the battle after elbow strikes or an unusual asphyxiation. Ferguson’s long arms can create problems for Russians when doing a takedown, ”Hardy said in a blog post on the YouTube channel Full Reptile.

A similar position was expressed by American MMA fighter Justin Gatzy. According to him, Nurmagomedov is the favorite of this confrontation, but Ferguson can cause him many problems.

“It's incredible how often and how strong Tony misses shots during fights. But I do not think that it will interfere with him, because Habib is unlikely to take this opportunity. He will do what is usual. It will be interesting to see whether Ferguson’s skills in Jiu-Jitsu play his role, as well as his tenacity - even when he is on the floor, he still continues to fight, ”GMA quotes the MMAJunkie portal.

“I consider myself one of the most powerful lightweights in the world”

Earlier, manager Nurmagomedova confirmed that the winner of the battle would be Gatji. The American himself, on whose account 21 victories in mixed martial arts, repeatedly expressed a desire to converge in the octagon with the Russian.

“Habib stated that he did not have so many fights left, so I have to fight him before he leaves. I can not let him go undefeated, at least not having tried my strength against him. I consider myself one of the strongest lightweights in the world, and I have many different tricks that Nurmagomedov may not have encountered before, ”added Gatgy.

Interestingly, the American Dustin Porrier also named Gatzhi as the main contender for the Russian title. The former interim lightweight champion is well acquainted with both fighters: in September of this year, he lost to Nurmagomedov at the UFC 242 tournament, and in April 2018 he defeated his compatriot.

Other fighters are counting on a meeting with the Russian. Trainer of former two-time UFC welterweight champion Georges Saint-Pierre Firas Zahabi said that his ward is ready to return to the octagon for the sake of this confrontation. The Canadian announced his retirement in February 2019, however, according to the mentor, he does not stop training and is still in good shape.

“I think he still has to fight. I don’t want to speak for him, but it seems to me that megaby will be his motivation. He does not want to be a champion again and fight every three to four months. This is over - this will no longer be. Need a megabyte. Invite him to come back for a mega-engagement and try to interest him - Georges loves to accept challenges, ”Zahabi quotes MMA Fighting.

At the same time, McGregor is still counting on revenge. ESPN columnist Ariel Helwani said that before the end of 2020, the Irish intends to hold three fights, in one of which he will again try to win the champion title in the lightweight division.

“At the end of the year, he plans to fight with Nurmagomedov in Moscow, if he continues to be the champion. He would very much like to correct this misunderstanding and hopes that he will be able to win in the previous two fights, and then shut up everyone’s mouths, ”said Helwani.