Famed MMA manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took to Twitter and bashed Tony Ferguson on his most recent social media post. Abdelaziz who is the manager to a large chunk of the UFC roster never shies away from speaking his mind. Chiefly, Tony Ferguson has been a name he’s intimately familiar with as he was scheduled to face ‘The Eagle’ Khabib Nurmagomedov several times.
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Tony Ferguson’s recent post triggered Ali Abdelaziz to reference his last loss in MMA to Charles Oliveira. ‘El Cucuy’ was handily dominated by ‘Do Bronx’ who now finds himself in a title fight against Michael Chandler. The loss was a strong blemish to Ferguson’s stock, and fans are now questioning his viability as a contender.
Your last opponent hold you on your back 12 minutes I believe you White belt take your ass to training #Champshitonly
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The UFC’s lightweight division: How does it all add up?
Khabib Nurmagomedov is no longer the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. This is a sentence many believed would never be constructed. However, that is the reality of the situation and a new champion will soon emerge. Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira are the fighters who will look to pick up the mantle.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: (R-L) Michael Chandler punches Dan Hooker of New Zealand in a lightweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
For Chandler, an opportunity for greatness lies ahead as he’s already been a decorated lightweight champion for Bellator MMA. He was a three-time champion with the organization, and a UFC belt will solidify his status at 155-pounds. However, he’ll have an uphill task against a specialist like Charles ‘Do Bronx’ who’s an ace at submission grappling.
‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira: Gold on his mind
Oliveira has been on an absolute tear through the division, and his win over Tony Ferguson was the icing on the cake. He was favored to be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s hardest test if they would have fought during Nurmagomedov’s reign. Now, Charles Oliveira has favored his chances in a title fight so much that he turned down a money fight with Nate Diaz.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 12: (L-R) Charles Oliveira of Brazil punches Tony Ferguson in their lightweight bout during the UFC 256 event at UFC APEX on December 12, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
There are plenty of other lightweight contenders such as Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, who will also get a crack. There’s no shortage of talented fighters and the future of the division is bright, to say the least. There are many match-ups to make and the landscape of the weight class will be shaped by the year’s end.
Can Tony Ferguson bounce back from adversity and fight for the belt?
