5 reasons why the UFC should book Khabib vs Tony Ferguson next

#5 It’d be a nice change of pace after UFC 229

Historic rivalries like Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell were built on professional respect

The narrative of UFC 229 was one of sheer hatred – Khabib and Conor McGregor talked an insane amount of trash on one another; teammates and friends became involved and of course, the notorious bus attack incident in April took the feud to a level never before seen in the UFC. Khabib vs. McGregor was absolutely a personal rivalry.

Khabib vs. Ferguson on the other hand – despite the multiple pull-outs from each man – would be strictly business. Sure, Ferguson likes to talk trash in his own unique way, but he’s simply never going to take things to the same level as McGregor did. You just can’t imagine ‘El Cucuy’ riffing on Khabib’s Dagestani background or religion, and that isn’t a bad thing.

The sport of MMA has always been sold on rivalries, sure, but some of the most fondly remembered ones – Couture vs. Liddell, Hughes vs. Penn, Velasquez vs. Dos Santos – were built on a healthy amount of professional respect from both parties, with some mild trash talk but nothing that got overly personal.

There’s no reason why Khabib vs. Ferguson couldn’t sell to the masses based purely on the brilliance of both fighters, the possibility of a tremendous fight, and the unique personalities of both men, rather than an intense personal rivalry.

After the way the Khabib/McGregor rivalry spilled into out-of-cage violence – something the sport has always done its best to distance itself from – a more professional rivalry sounds like a breath of fresh air.