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What's the story?
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez recently stated in an interview that he feels Tony Ferguson is the man to dethrone current Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In case you didn't know...
At UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Al Iaquinta to win the UFC Lightweight Championship, marking his first title win in the promotion.
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Nurmagomedov then successfully defended his title against the returning Conor McGregor at UFC 229 besting 'The Notorious One' via fourth-round submission.
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The heart of the matter
While speaking to Low Kick MMA's Jon Fuentes in a recent interview, former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez claimed that Lightweight sensation Tony Ferguson has the striking and grappling ability to give Nurmagomedov all kinds of trouble inside the Octagon. (H/T: Bloody Elbow)
“I would say the guy with the best chance has got to be Tony Ferguson. I think stylistically he doesn’t mind being on the ground and grappling, where Khabib is dominant and strong."
Alvarez, in addition, said that 'El Cucuy' possesses the confidence and ‘mystique’ to potentially dethrone Khabib Nurmagomedov as the Lightweight Champion.
“And I think Tony has this mystique about him where, inside his head he just has this no quit, willingness attitude – the old school wrestling attitude that allows him to almost go in there with that intangible that’s a really really powerful one.”
What's next?
Khabib Nurmagomedov will be returning to the Octagon at the upcoming UFC 242 pay-per-view, as 'The Eagle' gets set for a highly awaited title unification bout against interim Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier. This will be Nurmagomedov's second title defense after having defeated former two-division UFC Champion Conor McGregor at UFC 229.
Nurmagomedov will be returning to Octagon competition after serving a nine-month ban due to his wild post-fight brawl against Conor McGregor after UFC 229. UFC 242 takes place in Abu Dhabi on the 7th of September, 2019.
