Khabib Nurmagomedov says Tony Ferguson is 95 percent his next opponent

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov says that No. 1 contender Tony Ferguson is 95 percent going to be his next opponent inside the Octagon.

Nurmagomedov spoke to reporters in a press conference on Friday in Moscow a day ahead of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event featuring Zabit Magomedsharipov and Calvin Kattar in the main event. He was asked who his next opponent will be and where the fight will take place. Below is what Nurmagomedov told the media.

Nurmagomedov has been seeking his next opponent since he defeated Dustin Poirier by stoppage in a one-sided fight at UFC 242 in September. Superstar Conor McGregor is craving a rematch against Nurmagomedov, but the champion said in the same press conference that he believes McGregor needs to get 10 more wins before he gets a title shot. Nurmagomedov, rightly so, believes Ferguson should get the fight instead.

Ferguson is currently riding a 12-fight win streak and is 15-1 overall in the UFC. He’s only lost once in the Octagon, to Michael Johnson back in 2012. That loss was so long ago that women weren’t even fighting in the UFC at the time. Not to mention Ferguson broke his arm in that fight and still made it the distance. Since then, Ferguson has done nothing but win. He is coming off of back-to-back TKO wins over Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis to cement his place as the top contender in the UFC lightweight division.

As far as the fight not taking place in Russia, that’s a bit surprising as it was heavily rumored to be held there in the last few months. However, Nurmagomedov now says that New York is likely the next state for his next title defense as he’s still upset at Nevada and wants an apology for what happened in the aftermath of UFC 229.

Do you believe the UFC will be able to get the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson fight done?