Former UFC fan favorite Tony Ferguson didn’t hold back on Khabib Nurmagomedov after their multiple failed fight bookings.

Tony Ferguson will look to snap a six-year winless streak when he makes his professional boxing debut against influencer Salt Papi at Misfits Boxing 22. This will be Ferguson’s first fight of any kind since departing the UFC last year, following a first-round submission defeat to Michael Chiesa.

After Ferguson’s UFC tenure came to a bittersweet end, fans continue to speculate how a matchup between him and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would’ve played out. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were supposed to fight on five different occasions, but all five bookings were thwarted by cancelations.

Tony Ferguson holds a UFC title during an appearance at a press conferencePhoto by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesTony Ferguson raises eyebrows with latest comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov rivalry

Years after Nurmagomedov retired from MMA, Ferguson continues to taunt his longtime UFC rival from afar. In Ferguson’s mind, Nurmagomedov is the man responsible for why they never squared off in the Octagon.

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ferguson was asked to reflect on his rivalry with Nurmagomedov and raised eyebrows with his comments.

“I’d beat him in anything, that kid is my biggest fan,” Ferguson began.

“When it comes down to it, we hated each other for a long time, and his Dad did him a favor by keeping him away from me. As any smart parent would do, he would keep them away from damage. They felt the danger when it came to these bloody fights, and Khabib, he ducked out that night before. They tried to surround me and my family with some stupid s***, make us downplay how we’re supposed to go into this fight, and it was a lot of s***, and he knew I wasn’t backing down. So did his team.

“When I called him at the press conference, ‘Have fun cutting weight’, I can kind of tell exactly what’s going to happen when it happens. So I saw it coming, that dude would never fight me. Neither him or Conor [McGregor] would step into the ring or the f****** cage with me.

“Both of those gentlemen, the night that I fought Pettis, I was about to take all three of them that night, and I would’ve just f***** wore all their blood that night.”

Ferguson withdrew from two Nurmagomedov bookings due to injuries, while Nurmagomedov pulled out twice due to health issues. Nurmagomedov was forced out of their scheduled UFC 249 title fight due to Coronavirus, as he was prohibited from leaving Dagestan due to travel restrictions.

After Ferguson’s comments, fans didn’t take kindly to his latest comments about Nurmagomedov and his reflection on their rivalry.

“Confidence is great and all but I think this gone past that, its delusional now,” one fan wrote on X.

“Is he drunk?” another said.

“There has to be a full circle moment when we all realize Ferguson had a great winning streak (followed by an 8 fight losing streak), but El Cucuy was always super cringey and continues to be.”

“CTE is hard.”

“CTE is strong here.”

“I appreciate his delusion at this point.”

“Tony turned into a massive loser.”

“Bro you pulled out 2 times of that fight, same as Khabib.”

“Kid couldn’t even beat Paddy he’s not beating Conor.”

“How long until Tony is fighting fans on Street Beefs?”

“Khabib would have Tony done within 60 seconds lol.”

Ferguson pitched he and Nurmagomedov serve as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter to settle their long-term feud. Nurmagomedov retired from MMA after a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

Conor McGregor reignited Khabib Nurmagomedov rivalry after Ilia Topuria comparison

In the meantime, Conor McGregor reignited his beef with Nurmagomedov in a recent social media post. After Nurmagomedov jabbed McGregor in comparing him with Ilia Topuria, McGregor went on an X-rated social media rant in a since-deleted tweet.

McGregor is targeting a return to the UFC Octagon next year for the promotion’s planned event at The White House. UFC CEO Dana White recently welcomed McGregor’s participation, while shunning Jon Jones from potentially headlining the card.

McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC Octagon since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.