"Why duck him so much then?" - Internet splits over Khabib Nurmagomedov's claim that Tony Ferguson's only chance to beat him was a "lucky punch"  

MMA fans appear to have been divided by Khabib Nurmagomedov's latest comments, which has seen the former UFC lightweight champion address his canceled bouts against Tony Ferguson.

Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is considered to be one of the most cursed bouts in MMA history. At both of their peaks, the pair were scheduled to face-off on five separate occasions, however, every fight fell through. A mix of freak accidents, COVID-19 and weight cut issues all played their part, meaning fans were instead left with one of the biggest 'what ifs' in the fight game.

Recently, 'The Eagle' addressed his rivalry with 'El Cucuy' during an appearance on the Inspire Me podcast. Speaking to TNT Sports' Adam Catterall, Khabib Nurmagomedov stated that he was "sad" he never faced Tony Ferguson, but ultimately believes it would have taken a miracle for him to be victorious. He said:

"I feel a little bit sad but at the same time my game is worse for him, he doesn’t have wrestling, grappling so what’s he gonna do with me?...Only chance he’d have to stop me is a lucky punch…"

Check out Nurmagomedov's comments here:

The Russian's comments didn't go down well with fans, causing a split response. One fan questioned that if Nurmagomedov believed what he said, why did he avoid Ferguson. They wrote:

"Why duck him so much then?"

Another fan said:

"Talking from the sidelines lmfao"

One fan wrote:

"Bro ducked Tony"

Another said:

"Even Khabib’s dad knew Tony would’ve been his toughest test"

Some fans were on Nurmagomedov's side, with one writing:

"Let’s be honest khabib would’ve absolutely mauled Tony"

Another wrote:

"As a Tony fan im thankful that fight never took place"

Check out more reactions here:

More fan reactions

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Conor McGregor bashes Khabib Nurmagomedov for "fleeing" Russia

In a now-deleted post, Conor McGregor recently took aim at his rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, once again. The Irishman responded to an older post regarding the pair's infamous UFC 229 bout, which saw 'The Eagle' defeat McGregor via fourth round submission.

The post that McGregor replied to highlighted a previous quote from Nurmagomedov, when he previously told the UFC that he would quit the promotion if they fired one of his teammates. This was due to the mass brawl that took place following the Russian's win over McGregor.

In his reply, McGregor opted to see the funny side of what Khabib Nurmagomedov had said, as he is reportedly staying out of Russia whilst he deals with tax issues. The Dublin-native wrote:

"Fast forward he has since abandoned, betrayed, and fled Russia entirely. Leaving his children and mother and wife/cousin behind."

Check out McGregor's jibe here: