"There is a very good chance that they're gonna fight" - Michael Bisping confident that Tony Ferguson could "poke the bear" enough to convince Khabib Nurmagomedov to make UFC return

Michael Bisping is confident that Khabib Nurmagomedov might come out of retirement for the sole purpose of fighting Tony Ferguson.

Despite being scheduled multiple times by the UFC, the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson never took place. The Dagestani may have moved on from the rivalry, but Ferguson hasn't, as he recently challenged the former UFC lightweight champion to coach against him on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). However, much to everyone's surprise, Nurmagomedov expressed an interest in coaching on the show.

In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, the UFC Hall of Famer confidently stated that there is a good chance that 'The Eagle' will fight 'El Cucuy' in the octagon soon.

In support of his claims, Bisping stated that their rivalry and proximity to each other during the reality show could spark the much-anticipated fight if they coach opposite each other on TUF. 'The Count' feels that Ferguson might "poke the bear" and provoke Nurmagomedov to a point where he will want to come out of retirement just for a fight with the California native.

Bisping said:

"You're around these people a lot. These opponents, your foes, your enemies, your rivals. You're around them all the time, almost 24-7 for six to eight weeks. That's a lot of time for it to get personal, that's a lot of times for things to brew, to fester. To make you want to beat the living s**t out of him and then when the fight offer comes through... the one that got away might just come back...Khabib 'The Eagle' Nurmagomedov. Tony Ferguson 'El Cucuy', looks like they are gonna coach a season of the Ultimate Fighter... if they coach The Ultimate Fighter then there is a very good chance that they're gonna fight."

Check out Michael Bisping's discussion of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson in the video below:

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Khabib Nurmagomedov talks about coaching against Tony Ferguson at TUF

In a recent interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, Khabib Nurmagomedov discussed why he finds the prospect of competing against Tony Ferguson as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter quite appealing.

Nurmagomedov believes the UFC only has a few big names on its roster and is missing big stars such as Jon Jones, Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, and 'The Eagle' himself. The former lightweight champion claims that the UFC pitting him against 'El Cucuy' as rival coaches on TUF will provide some "good content" for the promotion's reality show/

'The Eagle' said in the interview:

"I like this idea to be honest. I like this idea. We can do some stuff. Because right now it's like, not too many big stars in the UFC right now. Even myself I'm finished, Jon Jones is not there, Henry Cejudo not there, Daniel Cormier not there, like of course I don't like this guy but he have big name, Conor not there. Like lot of people is not there you know. Like Adesanya, Volkanovski [sceptical], of course Ngannou, and my brother, pound for pound king Kamaru Usman. It's only like maybe few people you know. If me and Tony we're in The Ultimate Fighter coach, I think they can create some good content."

You can check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's interview with ESPN MMA in the video below: