“Khabib would've killed you” - Tony Ferguson’s former opponent calls ‘El Cucuy’ “retarded” over recent comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov

Former UFC contender Ramsey Nijem recently sounded off on Tony Ferguson for claiming to play "mind games" against Khabib Nurmagomedov during their face-off at the UFC 249 pre-fight press conference.

During a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Ferguson recalled facing off with 'The Eagle' at the UFC 249 presser in March 2020. The then-interim lightweight champion explained why he chose to lay down his belt during the face-off and how it helped him size up Nurmagomedov.

He also revealed that he got under Nurmagomedov's skin by asking him to remove his sunglasses, despite 'The Eagle' not wearing any. However, Nijem didn't buy Ferguson's story and slammed 'El Cucuy' for his statements in an X post.

Reacting to a clip of Ferguson on the podcast, Nijem claimed Nurmagomedov would've "killed" him and wrote:

"Real talk Tony is r**arded and yes I go KO'ed by a r**ard, but his inability to get knocked out was why he was good. Talkin' like he measured him up. He doesn’t even know where he is. Khabib would have killed you."

Ferguson notably defeated Nijem via first-round knockout at The Ultimate Fighter 13 finale in June 2011.

The Nurmagomedov-Ferguson matchup is among the most ill-fated pairing in UFC history. While the pair had been booked for a fight on five different occasions, the bout never materialized due to various reasons like injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Tony Ferguson claims Khabib Nurmagomedov's team surrounded his family before their bout at UFC 209

On the same podcast, Tony Ferguson claimed Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team tried to intimidate him before their third scheduled showdown at UFC 209 in March 2017 by surrounding his family while they were checking into their hotel.

While many were eagerly looking forward to the Nurmagomedov-Ferguson bout at UFC 209, the fight had to be scrapped due to 'The Eagle' getting hospitalized after suffering the effects of a brutal weight cut.

Speaking to Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson on the podcast, Ferguson opened up about the build-up to his third booking against Nurmagomedov and said:

"Khabib's team surrounded my family when we were checking in. They surrounded us, and I said, 'Hey look, and I f**king went around and said I'll take five of these motherf**kers.' So they ended up leaving, and we ended up going to a different spot. So we ended up leaving... We were at another spot but I was with my team and his team tried to surround us. But all my team, they knew how to scrap ."