Kvällssvepet: Tony Ferguson till Nate Diaz: ”Slåss eller gå i pension”

Tony Ferguson vill möta Nate Diaz i sin nästa match, och tycker att Diaz ska acceptera ett möte eller pensionera sig:

“Nate, if you don’t want to fight, move on. Retire,” säger Ferguson.

Topplättviktaren Tony Ferguson (22-3) skulle ha mött Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0) för UFC:s interim-titel i lättvikt på UFC 209, men matchen ställdes in efter ett misslyckat viktminskningsförsök av Nurmagomedov, som fick transporteras till sjukhus i stället.

Nu när Ferguson står både utan motståndare och titelchans öppnar han återigen för ett möte med Stocktons Nate Diaz (19-11) i sin nästa match:

“There’s a few things we’re trying to get in order,” berättar Ferguson i en nylig intervju med The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We were trying to get a fight in before Ramadan but Khabib doesn’t want to fight. He has a lot of issues going on with his stomach, so we’re trying to figure out who’s next but I don’t want to go backwards. I want to go forward and I think Nate Diaz, with his ranking at number eight, then Michael Johnson and so on and so forth, I’m kind of just chilling right now. I’m enjoying my time being a father and having fun with this stuff.”

“I’m down for the battle of California. Diaz wants to represent 209. I’m from 805 in the Oxnard area. I think, obviously, my hands are a lot better. I think this game is about the glory and not all about the money. Obviously you have to make you piece in this industry but shit, Nate, if you don’t want to fight, move on. Retire. Go do something else because we’re here to fight in this industry and everybody else is taken so Nate would be the next one up.”

UFC lättviktsmästare Conor McGregor, som jagar en superfight i boxning mot Floyd Mayweather. Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“Det här är min division”

Den optimala motståndaren för Ferguson, som har vunnit åtta raka matcher i UFC, vore förstås mästaren Conor McGregor (21-3), men en titelfight mot irländaren verkar inte vara någon möjlighet för tillfället.

UFC-presidenten Dana White har på den senaste tiden varit öppen med att han försöker få till en superfight mellan McGregor och obesegrade boxaren Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Ferguson tror därför att hans nästa match kommer att gå om interim-titeln medan McGregor är frånvarande.

“If Conor doesn’t step up, they’ll make an interim belt,” säger Ferguson. “I think they’re gonna make an interim belt either way. I just think interim is a word that they throw around a lot and it’s gonna be thrown my way. I don’t think anything else is going to change right now. Conor’s obviously the favorite at my weight class but I don’t play favorite. I knock ‘em all out. I finish them, D’arce or knockout, so it doesn’t matter.

“The division’s full of guys moving up and down weight classes or guys going to fight in other sports, but we’re really here. This is a shark tank. I’m a hammerhead still and you’re gonna see these guys come in my division and I’m gonna chew them up and spit them out. This is my division.”

Vill ni se Ferguson vs. Diaz?

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Video

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Gratismatch.

https://youtu.be/uNod9gUMPoc

TTTHS!

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Sociala medier

Silvas nya motståndare…

BREAKING: @SpiderAnderson faces off against his new opponent for #UFC212‼️‼️‼️ ??? pic.twitter.com/rx51m3yF6o

— UFC (@ufc) April 11, 2017

#VirtuallyIdentical #UFC212 #UFC #MMA #AndersonSilva #AsRealAsItGets #JustBleed #BJJ #JiuJitsu #Boxing #Wrestling #MuayThai #Sambo #Judo #TaeKwonDo #Karate Edit Collaboration: @can2living @as_shopped_as_it_gets_ Idea credit: @trevor.hurt

A post shared by As Shopped As It Gets (@as_shopped_as_it_gets_) on Apr 11, 2017 at 9:49pm PDT

Romero är otålig.

Still no date @bisping ? GSP making you wait? Cmon boi who is champ? When I win the belt I will defend every 2-3 months for the fans #ynuevo

— Peoples Champ (@YoelRomeroMMA) April 11, 2017

USADA.

Just Say No Kids … Train hard Fight Clean !!!!!! #USADA #ufc211 #eafight #thnq

A post shared by Eddie Alvarez (@ealvarezfight) on Apr 11, 2017 at 2:30pm PDT

The Bandit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSw2GYNAf1K/?taken-by=thebandit754

Putting in some extra work after morning clinch session with the best in business @sadibousy @omarbouiche

A post shared by The Bandit 754 (@zebaztiankadestam) on Apr 12, 2017 at 8:11am PDT