When we think about Khabib Nurmagomedov, we think of an extremely dominant fighter who was equally humble and highly disciplined. However, fellow ex-UFC fighter Tony Ferguson seems to know something about ‘The Eagle’ that most fans and other MMA personalities may not know. Ahead of his boxing debut under the Misfits Boxing banner against Salt Papi this weekend in Manchester, ‘El Cucuy’ shared a story about Nurmagomedov and his late father that he claims is true.

As we all know, Tony Ferguson has been looking to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in a grappling match or appear as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter at least. Although Team Khabib likes the idea, the contest has yet to materialize because the Dagestan native is a pretty busy guy. But that hasn’t stopped Ferguson from talking about the undefeated UFC legend. And recently, he revealed that there was a time when Nurmagomedov could have suffered a massive beating at his hands, but was saved.

Tony Ferguson claims that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father saved him

According to Tony Ferguson‘s story, ‘The Eagle’ and Islam Makhachev crossed paths with homeless people on the streets of New York. Ferguson claimed Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s father, saved the 29-0 fighter from trouble, or things would have ended badly for them. “His dad was the one that saved him from a real a– whooping and just getting bloody and stitched up,” the UFC veteran told JNMEDIAUK. “He went to New York and made the homeless do pushups and threw money like they were strippers, which is ridiculous, him and his cousin, Makhachev.”

“I like to be able to look after the people that can’t look after themselves,” Ferguson explained while talking about his gripe with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Well, fans and other MMA personalities may not picture Khabib Nurmagomedov as someone who messes with others for the sheer fun of it. But according to Tony Ferguson, that was not the only time that Khabib’s father stepped in to save him. It happened once when he was involved, too.

Ferguson claims Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov also saved his son from him

As we all know, they were paired up to fight almost five times, and on all the occasions, the fight never materialized. This is, in fact, one of the biggest missed opportunities in Dana White’s career as a promoter. But prior to UFC 209, when ‘The Eagle’ had to be hospitalized for a bad weight cut, Ferguson claims that the duo almost clashed with each other at the fighter hotel.

In Ferguson’s own words, he and his family were surrounded by Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team. He was ready to throw down if needed, as he claims to have prepared for scenarios like this one. But Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov intervened and apparently “saved” his son from ‘El Cucuy’. ” Khabib one time and his whole little f—ing clique surrounded my family when we were at the hotel,” Ferguson told Bloddy Elbow.

“That put a little f—ing thing inside me because before I signed up for the UFC, I signed up for the paratroopers. I always wanted to be Special Forces. I always found myself training like military, being the guy that was super sharp,” he added. “I was raised around different kind of things in the country; it was just a little bit different for me. The mentality that I have that I buried into this lifestyle? You guys don’t know that side of me.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team have acted similarly before, like when they confronted Artem Lobov before UFC 229. However, the same can’t be said about the story Tony Ferguson just narrated. In all likelihood, it might be the 41-year-old’s way to get ‘The Eagle’s attention. Who knows?