The news of the cancellation of the title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson at the UFC 249 tournament became the main in the world of mixed martial arts. What fans of fights without rules feared, nevertheless happened - having a series of 12 victories in a row, the Russian and the American for the next, for the fifth time, will not be able to identify the strongest in the full-time battle.
Many athletes believe that Nurmagomedov did the right thing by refusing to meet in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and for some this was the occasion for April Fools' joke. At the same time, opinions about whether the fight will take place in the future are divided.
Mixed martial artist Alexander Shlemenko was not surprised at this development. He recalled that a compatriot had always carefully calculated all the risks before entering the ring, and this could affect his decision.
“Not to say that I am upset by the cancellation of the battle. Of course, I wanted to see. But I assumed that it will be so, the situation in the world is too complicated. Moreover, he had already broken four times before. Habib is very prudent and always has been. Before every fight, he always beat out the best conditions for himself - for training, for weight loss. And here is the same situation. It is foolish to blame him for cowardice. It's just funny for me to hear that. He has a bare calculation, so he has no defeats in his career. If you suddenly have any health problems or something else, the fight has always been canceled, ”Sport24 quotes Shlemenko.
Former Russian MMA fighter Oleg Taktarov is sure that if Nurmagomedov showed more desire, he could have ended up in the United States and fought with Ferguson.
“The option was, is and remains. I say again that he was not stuck. If a person wants and there will be such an opportunity, if suddenly everything magically declines and you can find a place where to fight ... Is there an opinion that Khabib was afraid of Tony and threw everything on coronavirus? I’ll leave my opinion to myself, ”Taktarov said.
Another mixed martial arts fighter, Yusuf Raisov, believes that the UFC has done wrong to Nurmagomedov and should apologize for the breakdown. He stated that he would have acted in the same place as a Russian wrestler.
“Naturally, the UFC did the wrong thing. At first he was told that there would be no battle in America. He talked to them, they told him that he could go home. What would I do in Habib's place? Two situations. But, probably, I would not have flown out to battle. Firstly, there is disrespect from the UFC. To say one thing and then call back to America is wrong. They just have to apologize to Habib. Tony Ferguson is located in America. He doesn’t need acclimatization, so he speaks with his tongue. Yes, and you can’t fly there, ”Raisov said in a conversation with Sport Express.
Ramadan Emeev supported his position. The MMA fighter urged fans not to call Nurmagomedov a coward for his refusal to fight, as he was forced to do so.
“I believe that Khabib is right. Firstly, now all borders are closed, planes are not allowed. Secondly, he is now to fly again to the USA, to go through acclimatization again. He was first told that the battle would be in Dubai. He flew there, waiting for the arena to be appointed. In the end, everything changed, and the battle was to take place in the United States. This is unprofessional. Habib called a coward? People who say that just don't want to understand anything. They just need to blame someone. Habib did it right. You can’t risk such a battle. In addition, it would be wrong to fly to the USA, where thousands of people die, ”said Emeev.
According to the head of the promotion company M-1 Global Vadim Finkelstein, the world lightweight champion was not interested in canceling the fight, as many believe, and will still have time to meet with Ferguson.
“It is said loudly that this is the main loss for sports in 2020. Basically, I think the battle will take place. With the transfer or cancellation, they tightened, of course, but I see nothing of the sort. Especially in this situation. They have long said that we’ll stop soon, stop, and gradually led to this. I do not think that Habib changed his mind even when he flew to Russia. Why is he doing this? It should be an interesting fight for him, he was a favorite in him, ”Finkelstein told the Championship.
He added that the second fight between Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor would not be as interesting as a duel with Ferguson, whose relevance will remain for a long time to come.
At the same time, another promoter Kamil Gadzhiev believes that after the fifth cancellation of the fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, they will no longer be on the same canvas. He admitted that he was disappointed with another unsuccessful attempt to organize a battle.
“I think this UFC will want to play again, but his fate is such that, perhaps, he was not destined to take place. I'm sad. Of course I wanted to see. In this weight category, such a fight could be called truly champion, but what can you do. So the circumstances were, ”Hajiyev said.
The world-famous MMA expert Ariel Helwani believes that now Ferguson needs to abandon the fight with Nurmagomedov, and on April 18 to hold a duel with another fighter. This option will not allow Tony to become the UFC champion in the near future, but this should not matter to him, the journalist is sure.
“The UFC has invited Ferguson to fight Justin Gatzy. I do not agree with those who believe that it is necessary to wait for the battle with Nurmagomedov instead of getting together with Gatzhi on April 18. We do not know when the pandemic will end, and because of this, the fighters do not know, do not know when they will still have the opportunity to earn a large six-figure sum. Ferguson has only fought once since October 2018. Why refuse a check with six digits for a possible meeting with Nurmagomedov in a few months? Fans love to talk about irrational things like titles and heritage. It doesn’t mean anything in the real world. You can’t put a title on a bank account, ”Helvani said.