Tony Ferguson's UFC 223 withdrawal and the odds of Max Holloway stopping 'The Khabib Train'

The MMA fraternity around the world has waited four long years for this super fight and it was just six days away when the world woke up to the reality that Tony 'El Cucuy' Ferguson backed out from UFC 223 main card due to a freak accident which injured his Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL).

A news of this magnitude on the internet on a beautiful 'April Fools' morning can be very suspicious. But high-level sources inside UFC have confirmed that Tony cannot make it to the Octagon this weekend.

This is heart-wrenching for every fight fan, but there is a silver lining to it, which is that Tony is replaced by none other than the 145 lbs champ Max Holloway, who volunteered to step up and face Khabib 'The Eagle' Nurmagomedov to save the main card. And Khabib has accepted this challenge.

Is Max Holloway a bad match-up for Khabib Nurmagomedov?

So, we have an issue here, and this issue has got many implications. But first, is Max Holloway a bad match-up for Khabib? Fighting Khabib is a nightmare for other Lightweights in the division and he is undefeated in the UFC and his coach says he has never lost a round, even in training.

So, is this a David vs Goliath situation? Not really; the featherweight champ will be walking into the octagon this weekend with a 12 fight win streak which includes two consecutive victories against the Brazilian Legend Jose Aldo.

His last defeat was against Conor McGregor in 2013. That was a long time back and a lot has changed since. Now he is an excellent striker with a killer jab with great footwork and he also switches his stance often. He has also got an enormous gas tank and a titanium chin, while his career statistics show a takedown defense rate of 83 percent.

If this match goes five rounds with both fighters on their feet, things can get really interesting, but if Khabib ends up on top of Max, we all know what's going to happen. Thus, things remain very interesting in the UFC 223 main card even without Tony Ferguson in it.

What if Max Holloway stops 'the Khabib train'?

In a dream scenario where Holloway beats Khabib, we ought to be prepared to have some serious debate regarding who the real double champ is.

This could mean the return of Conor McGregor for the Undisputed Double Championship. If everything goes well for Holloway in that fight, we will have a new MMA G.O.A.T candidate. Thus, by taking up this fight, Max Holloway has got on track to establish himself as the 'greatest of all time' fighter.

Will Khabib fight Tony ever again?

A 'Khabib vs Tony' fight is what the fans really want to watch. It could be one of the best matchups ever and we have been waiting for this fight for too long. It all started in December 2015 when Khabib Nurmagomedov was injured and was ruled out of the TUF 22 Finale bout against Tony Ferguson.

It happened again in April 2016 and March 2017 before UFC 223. They have been paired four times and it has ended in disappointment every time. It is almost as if someone cursed this fight so that it can never happen. Tony is 34 years old now and we do not have much knowledge about his latest injury.

If it’s not that bad, he can be back after rehab, but if that is not the case, this could be that one fight that got away.

Worst case scenario, we will have to pray to the MMA gods to make this happen inside Bellator MMA once these fighters retire. Bellator has some serious expertise in selling fights with worn out UFC fighters.

On a serious note, April 1st has been a really disappointing day for mixed martial arts enthusiasts around the world. And the only option we have is to wish a speedy recovery and good health for Tony. Let’s also keep our fingers crossed and hope that UFC president Dana White does pair these world-class fighters one last time.