Khabib Nurmagomedov on Tony Ferguson's claim of 1-and-done: 'Sometimes he talks stupid'

LAS VEGAS – Tony Ferguson believes UFC 209 is going to mark the beginning and end of his octagon encounters with Khabib Nurmagomedov. “The Eagle” is slightly more optimistic.

Ferguson (22-3 MMA, 12-1 UFC) said earlier this week that he’s going to dismantle Nurmagomedov (24-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) to such a degree in their interim lightweight title fight at UFC 209 that his Dagestani foe will never want to step in the octagon with him again.

Nurmagomedov, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, understands that he and No. 3-ranked Ferguson are elite members of their weight class, which means regardless of the result they could cross paths again similar to what’s been seen in other multi-fight clashes across UFC history.

“Why not? He’s a good opponent. I think when I beat him he will keep winning – why not?” Nurmagomedov told MMAjunkie. “Maybe like Cain (Velasquez) versus Junior Dos Santos, maybe. But we’ll see what happens. Sometimes he talks stupid. I think he underestimates my spirit.”

UFC 209 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The interim title fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson co-headlines the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

If not for multiple injuries, it’s possible that Nurmagomedov and Ferguson could already have more than one showdown under their belts, because the history between the pair of interim title competitors has already stretched out over more than a year.

They were originally scheduled to clash at “The Ultimate Fighter 22” finale in December 2015, but unfortunately Nurmagomedov was forced to withdraw from the contest because of injury. They were again scheduled to fight at UFC on FOX 19 in April 2016, but then it was Ferguson who pulled out of the fight because of injury.

Although the delays have been frustrating to both fighters and fans, it seems it’s finally going to happen at UFC 209. Nurmagomedov said he couldn’t be more prepared.

“We supposed to fight 2015, 2016 and finally now we fight 2017,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think that’s why this fight becomes very big. He keep winning, I keep winning, and it’s a very big fight. Very big fight.”

Check our full one-on-one interview with Nurmagomedov above.

And for more on UFC 209, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.