Alla vill se lättviktarna Tony Ferguson och Khabib Nurmagomedov mötas i buren men tyvärr är pengarna som är problemet. Trots att Nurmagomedov erbjudit Ferguson en stor summa för att gå matchen tänker inte Ferguson acceptera det generösa erbjudandet.
Under de senaste veckorna har UFC försökt att få till en match mellan topputmanarna i lättviktsdivisionen Tony Ferguson (22-3) och Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0). Trots att båda slagskämparna vill gå matchen så har matchen inte materialiserats då Ferguson begärt en lika stor lön som Nurmagomedov, ett förfrågning som möttes med kalla handen från UFCs president Dana White.
Det har lämnat matchen i en frustrerande limbo. Ferguson är osäker på varför han inte får samma lön men pekar bland annat på att ”The Eagle” fått fler chanser genom mer exponering på större galor och därför är ett större namn.
“I’m not sure, man. You ask them. Ask them why they’re not paying me, and maybe we’ll get some answers,” sade Ferguson under The MMA Hour. “I haven’t had the opportunities that they have (given Nurmagomedov), as far as, over the past five fights, I’ve only been on one pay-per-view. All the rest have been on FOX Sports 1 cards, which limits my mainstream exposure. Khabib has been on three pay-per-views and two UFC on FOXs, which draws much larger audiences than FOX Sports 1 cards.
“Despite this, there’s nothing that suggests that Khabib draws any larger than me. I haven’t been given the same opportunities or the same push as Khabib. I don’t belong to AKA or a big major sport’s program. I choose to do different things on my own and I’m building my own legacy, my own facilities, but that’s later on. That’s a completely different subject. So, as far as compensation goes, like I said, the UFC has been known to change it (for a particular fight) over their history, and I’m just looking for them to get this thing going, man. Let’s go. Let’s go, UFC.”
Den stillastående situationen ledde till slut till ett underlig erbjudande från ”The Eagle” som erbjöd Ferguson $ 200 000 (ca. 1,8 miljoner kronor) från sin egen kassa för att få till matchen, ett erbjudande som Ferguson säger att han inte kan acceptera:
“You’ve got Khabib fucking offering (me) $200,000 to fight me. I’m not going to take his money because we work for the same kind of thing,” sade Ferguson. “I would offer the same thing. But that’s not what I’m in here for, man. Honestly, we’re both two of the same kind of fighters because we fight for something different. The UFC has a chance to make the most money out of everyone right now. They’re looking at the hugest, biggest demographic in Russia. Well let us fight, man. I’m trying to build my demographic too. Let me work for you guys. Let me work for you guys the way that I have been working, but compensate me the way that I need to be compensated.
“The fight is us or Conor, man,” fortsatte Ferguson. “And I know both of us are going to smash that fool. So the real fight is this fight, and we both know it. We’ve met each other. We’ve sized each other up. We know what the fuck is up.”
När matchen mellan Ferguson Nurmagomedov först föll igenom matchades ”The Eagle” med fjäderviktsmästaren Jose Aldo (26-2) istället. Nurmagomedov tackade dock nej till matchen med motiveringen att han endast vill möta Ferguson och att det är matchen som fansen ville se.
Ferguson håller med och är säker på att han kommer kunna ta ned Nurmagomedov och använda hans hatt som mopp:
“Everybody wants the fight. I’m ready to go, man. You know I’m ready to go,” sade Ferguson. “Everybody wants to see this fight. Everybody wants to see these fireworks. They want to see that explosiveness. They want to see me throw Khabib on his back and get that five-point motion with this USA wrestling. Because if wrestling was easy, it would be called Sambo, my friend. Straight up, I’m going mop that dude up. I’m going to use his hat for a mop.
“But for right now, I’m enjoying my time. The fans, you guys need to get anxious, man. Let’s get some chatter going. Let’s get the UFC involved with this. If you’ve got Khabib willing to sacrifice his life and give me $200,000 of his own money, something’s wrong with that shit. I’m not going to take that guy’s money. He’s got a family too. So do I, and he’s got bills to pay. So I’m not going after Khabib’s. All I want is my stuff right and to be compensated for what my numbers prove to be, so let’s go kids.
“Let’s take a chance on a kid, you know? Two fighters that deserve a chance. Let’s do this.”
Tycker du att Ferguson borde ha accepterat pengarna?
Omslagsbild via MMAnytt.se
