Many people often refer to the saga of a potential clash between UFC legends Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov as one of the most cursed matchups in MMA history. Fans longed to see them locked in the Octagon, but fate seemed to have other plans. Despite UFC’s best efforts—and five attempts to schedule the bout—the fight never materialized. A string of issues and ultimately the COVID-19 pandemic sealed its fate. In 2025, the window for this clash has firmly closed.

Nurmagomedov has retired from MMA, leaving behind an unblemished legacy while Ferguson finds himself at the twilight of his career, battling through a record-breaking eight-fight losing streak. However, the disappointment of what could have been still lingers among fans. Some have even speculated whether UFC head honcho Dana White and Co. genuinely sought to make the fight happen or if there were other motivations at play.

Recently, veteran referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy added his perspective, shedding light on why this cursed bout never came to fruition. Speaking on his Weighing In podcast with co-host and former UFC fighter Josh Thomson, McCarthy revisited the circumstances of the infamous matchup and addressed his friction with the UFC during the pandemic. In 2020, White faced criticism for resuming UFC events despite concerns over health and safety protocols. The UFC boss released a video targeting critics and referenced McCarthy’s comments, which seemed to suggest the referee was against holding fights during the pandemic.

However, on his podcast, McCarthy clarified the misunderstanding, saying, “You know, they put it out like I said I thought it was wrong they were going to do fights during COVID. That’s not what I said at all. At the time, when the whole COVID thing happened before they went to Jacksonville, Dana wanted that damn Khabib versus Tony fight, and he was going to do anything he could to get it. Then COVID hit, and it put a kibosh on it because no one was doing fights.”

The veteran referee further revealed the extraordinary lengths Dana White went to to host UFC 249 during the pandemic. With conventional venues unavailable, White explored holding the event on tribal land. McCarthy elaborated, “He found Tachi Palace, which you know well and I know well. It’s an Indian reservation. But the California State Athletic Commission refused to allow it, saying, ‘We are not doing this.’ The commission shut it down.”

Tony Ferguson brings Khabib Nurmagomedov to the mix

The long-awaited fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson has become a tale of missed opportunities, with the bout being canceled five times. Of those cancellations, three came from ‘The Eagle’s’ side. Their first scheduled meeting in 2015 got derailed when the Dagestani native broke his ribs just a week before the fight. At UFC 209, Nurmagomedov pulled out owing to weight-cutting issues when the duo was set to fight for the interim lightweight championship.

The final shot at making the fight a reality came at UFC 249, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented ‘The Eagle’ from leaving Russia, and Tony Ferguson ended up facing Justin Gaethje instead, beginning his current eight-fight losing streak. Recently, Khabib posted a hot take between “Dagestan vs. Ireland” claiming his region’s dominance over world MMA and asserting that “Dagestan has higher level fighters.”

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Ferguson, unable to resist, fired back after reading ‘The Eagle’s’ tweet on X and quipped, “Shut up Fathead 🖕🦹‍♂️. You’re still my b*tch. You fought 2-round ‘pro’ padded fights leading up to the @ufc. Easy to talk when you’re not competing, ya eunuch ✂️🥜. Once a coward, always a coward 🍃. – Champ 🦹‍♂️ – CSO 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 #29-1 🍮 … okay, maybe 2.”

While the prospect of this bout is a thing of the past, the American’s desire to face a “Nurmagomedov” remains strong. In a surprising turn, Ali Abdelaziz has challenged ‘El Cucuy’ to fight Khabib’s cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov in the newly minted GFL. As the situation evolves, someone will probably make an official announcement soon. Will the fight between Ferguson and Abubakar Nurmagomedov materialize? Stay tuned for further updates.