Tony Ferguson says Khabib Nurmagomedov had a ‘lazy, one-dimensional’ fight against Dustin Poirier

Tony Ferguson was not impressed with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s performance against Dustin Poirier this past weekend in Abu Dhabi.

In the main event of UFC 242, Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title by third-round submission. He seemingly dominated the fight from the get-go using his wrestling and relentless pressure to stop Poirier in his tracks. However, Ferguson was not impressed by Khabib, claiming his performance was lazy.

“Lazy. One-dimensional,” Tony Ferguson said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “Nothing against him, both guys did an awesome fight week. I know there was a lot of nerves and stuff. Khabib showed up, he obviously won, put the pressure on Dustin and Dustin didn’t have an answer for it. Props to Khabib for winning but like I said, it’s lazy. We’ve prepared for this guy many times. He’s a good fighter but I know how to break that goat.”

Why Tony Ferguson says that is simple. He says Khabib Nurmagomedov has holes in his game and the way he fights will put the Russian champion in trouble.

“Well, being my type of fighter, I throw a lot of barrage of punches, kicks, knees and elbows. So when I see someone pushing against the cage and not really doing too much, being active and just kind of putting themselves as a wet blanket. In jiu-jitsu, we use that saying. He’s a wet blanket, just sitting there,” he explained. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s interesting how Khabib fights but to me, it’s just boring, it’s lazy.

“With him, I see a lot of holes in his game. But he’s got a high-level team with him and they know what they’re dealing with so they’re going to go to the drawing board and try to fix those holes. I think Dustin was in awe during fight week. Probably just a culture shock. It was probably a lot for both fighters. With that being said, in the next fight, you’re probably going to have one of the best Khabibs you’ve ever seen. So they’re going to fix a lot of holes in his game.”

What do you make of Tony Ferguson’s comments over Khabib Nurnagomedov’s performance at UFC 242? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/9/2019.