MMA community reacts to Tony Ferguson’s UFC 223 withdrawal, Max Holloway stepping in
Early yesterday evening, we were all staring at our screens skeptically, reading that Tony Ferguson had been forced out of his UFC 223 title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov with a leg injury. We expected this kind of nonsense because it was April Fools. Ha ha ha… very funny. Come on out, Ashton Kutcher. Ya got us…
Slowly, however, we began to realize that this was no prank. In a truly cruel twist of fate, Ferguson had actually been forced out of his UFC 223 fight with a leg injury he sustained while walking—not by kicking steel pipes, but by turning to sharply while walking.
It’s the fourth time a scheduled bout between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov has been cancelled. You can almost imagine some witchdoctor sitting in a hut in a swamp, stroking a human skull, and casting an ancient hex on the two fighters. If ever there was a truly cursed matchup in MMA, this is it.
As you can imagine, news of this bout’s latest cancellation generated some interesting reactions from the MMA community, as fighters like Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, Daniel Cormier and Kevin Lee all chimed in on the insanity. Of course, we’re all waiting to see what a certain Irishman has to say about the ordeal.
Without further ado, here are some of the best reactions to Tony Ferguson’s UFC 223 withdrawal.
Let me understand, Conor is a LW Champ, Tony is a interim champ, Tony is out… The winner between Khabib and Max will be a “Inter interim Champ” of UFC?
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) April 2, 2018
The news about @TonyFergusonXT getting hurt is real. Supposedly Tony saw someone and changed direction quickly to go shake their hand or something. So my question is who was that person that we should blame for this fight not happening? #UFC223
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 2, 2018
Lol these guys can't even make it to war..
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) April 2, 2018
They winging this whole shit 😂
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) April 2, 2018
That person that seemed so important at that moment is no longer Tony’s friend! This is crazy! https://t.co/nlBPAnlRvQ
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 1, 2018
If what You’re telling is true! and Max Holloway’s injury is healed , and he got medically checked and cleared all in 1 hour by a doctah, You have me confused with another bozzo! #UFC223
— #OnAmission4Gold (@KelvinGastelum) April 2, 2018
This shit so crazy. Nothing but respect @BlessedMMA
— Kevin Lee MTP (@MoTownPhenom) April 1, 2018
Tony is out, @BlessedMMA is in for the undisputed title. I don’t believe it. #aprilfoolsjoke
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) April 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/dillondanis/status/980584108765122565
No way. No.
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) April 1, 2018
What in the absolute f****** ………. https://t.co/ckcwPRhzqR
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) April 2, 2018
Needless to say, people are shocked at the way things have unfolded. Yet while some are optimistic that we might still get this matchup in the future, UFC President Dana White has assured that won’t be the case.
“Hell no,” White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto shortly after this unfortunate news broke. “I’m never making that fight ever again. Ever.”
What was your reaction to Tony Ferguson’s UFC 223 withdrawal?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/2/2018.
Topics:
Tony Ferguson
