Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Tony Ferguson is only “fighting for money,” urges him to retire because his “time is up”

Khabib Nurmagomedov has doubled down on thinking Tony Ferguson’s time is up.

Nurmagomedov and Ferguson were longtime rivals that never had the chance to share the Octagon with one another. The two were booked multiple times but it never came to fruition due to injuries, botched weight cuts, freak injuries, and even a pandemic.

Since they were last scheduled, Nurmagomedov has since retired while Ferguson has lost five straight fights including being submitted by Nate Diaz last time out. During the losing skid, Nurmagomedov said Ferguson was done and he has since doubled down on that as he thinks Ferguson is only fighting for money.

“His time is up, and there’s no way to get it back,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with UFC Russia (h/t MMAJunkie). “Not Khabib, not Tony, nobody. We had our time, and it passed. He continues to fight. He needs money. You have to pay your bills in the U.S., and I’m sure that since he’s a Californian, I know all the Californian fighters – everything he earned, take half of that. I think he keeps fighting for money to pay bills, taxes. He has a family, I think he has two kids. I don’t blame him, but you can’t get back time. When your time goes away it doesn’t ask your name.”

Although Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Tony Ferguson is only fighting for money, ‘El Cucuy’ has made it known he still competes because he loves it. He also is confident he can get back to the top, as he is a former interim lightweight champ. However, Nurmagomedov thinks Ferguson is now past his prime and he should retire.

Tony Ferguson, as mentioned, is on a five-fight losing skid and is 25-8 as a pro. His last win came back in June of 2019 when he scored a TKO win over Donald Cerrone.

What do you make of Khabib Nurmagomedov saying Tony Ferguson only fights for money?