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#2. The fifth cancelation of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
Many fights get booked only to get canceled, but rarely does a fight get booked five times and is shelved each time. Such has been the case with Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson.
First slated to take place in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 22, the fight got canceled. The reason was a rib injury sustained by 'The Eagle' in training camp.
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The fight would then get booked three more times. Once in 2016, then in 2017 and again in 2018. Each time it got canceled due to one of the fighters facing a medical issue during the lead-up.
However, both fighters were progressing in their respective careers. Khabib Nurmagomedov became the 155lb champ while Ferguson built a 12-fight winning streak.
The fight was booked and canceled for one final time in 2020. The culprit this time would be the Covid-19 pandemic. However, many fans and Ferguson himself would not shy away from criticizing the champ.
While Ferguson implied that his opponent was scared, fans said that 'The Eagle' had been ducking 'El Cucuy' from the beginning. The Russian, however, also fired back in an Instagram live session:
“I don’t understand this. The UFC tried to find a location last almost one month. They don’t find. What about me? This is my mistake?"
#1. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. the ring girls
In August 2021, Khabib Nurmagomedov made some controversial comments about ring girls. The former UFC lightweight champion said:
“Look, I don’t want to offend anyone: Ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts... You can show that it is the second round on the screen."
While many agreed with him, the backlash was strong and immediate. Everyone from former and current fighters to the ring girls themselves countered 'The Eagle'. Arianny Celeste made a lengthy post on Instagram defending her profession.
The Russian had made it clear that it was his personal opinion, though that did not deter a section of fans from attacking his views. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov remained unphased. In an interview in October, he reiterated his stance:
"Some people don’t agree with this, but who cares? I don’t care, because I have my opinion."
