Khabib Nurmagomedov declared that he is still "waiting for Tony Ferguson to wake up" after the fighter was viciously knocked out last month.
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been arch-rivals for years, but through various freak occurrences were never able to settle their feud in the octagon. And when Ferguson began a losing streak right around the time that the Russian was retiring, it appeared that MMA fans would have to admit that the pair may never get to compete against one another.
But the pair have been entertaining the possibility of coaching against each other in the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, despite the fact that Nurmagomedov has vowed never to fight again. Generally, the reality show is known for promoting a major bout between the season's two coaches, but on rare occasions the two will not square off after filming is wrapped.
And the trash talking has begun between the pair, who have both held UFC gold at lightweight, with Ferguson posting a lengthy message to his rival on Twitter. "Hey Khabieber, you done with your world tour yet?" Ferguson asked, comparing the Russian to pop star Justin Bieber.
"About time you man up and face a real coaches' challenge. How about a pie-eating contest fatty? Nom nom nom, time's time to make some real nose buddy foo foo, 29-1. I win - the champ."
Nurmagomedov clapped back with a vicious seven-word answer, telling his old rival "I'm waiting for you to wake up," after his brutal loss to Chandler at UFC 274. The tweet quickly received more than Ferguson's initial callout, and had fans in hysterics in the comments section.
One wrote that Nurmagomedov had won the exchange "10-7", which is how a round would be scored if someone utterly dominated in a near-impossible way. Another added "I really need this TUF to happen with you two. Would be hilarious and epic!"
Do you want to see Khabib Nurmagomedov coach on The Ultimate Fighter with Tony Ferguson? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
The pair inked five separate deals to fight, and had their bouts called off for a variety of freakish reasons. For one of their meetings, Nurmagomedov was hospitalised during the weight cut, while just days before another Ferguson tripped on a wire while doing media and picked up a gnarly injury.
Their final scheduled meeting was set for April of 2020 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but the coronavirus pandemic cost them that date. Ferguson ended up facing Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight belt that he had never lost, and he was defeated not just that fight but his next three.
Nurmagomedov defeated Gaethje for the undisputed belt later that year, and shocked fans by announcing his retirement in a teary post-fight speech. For months, promoter White attempted to get him back into the fold with a number of major offers, but the belt was ultimately vacated and Charles Oliveira took charge of the division.
