Khabib Nurmagomedov Should Be A Bad Matchup For Tony Ferguson

Even though many MMA media members expect Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov to be a close fight, there is a reason to believe that it is not going to be a close one. For the past year, Ferguson has shown a tendency to constantly try to walk down his opponents in an attempt to get them into striking range. This trend has helped Ferguson win the all of his UFC fights because his opponents didn't have the stamina to cut angles in the process of moving backward to avoid any strikes from landing. Due to this, some opponents are forced to give into his pressure because they would attempt to cut angles and experience early fatigue from a lack of stamina which would put them in a position to have to exchange with him. On the other hand, some opponents came to the conclusion that they were better off trading punches with him because they were aware of the fact that they didn't have the stamina to cut angles. As a result of this, Ferguson would have ample opportunities to get within his striking range and inflict damage on his opponents. During these occasions, he would faint the left hand in an attempt to get the opponent to move their head to the right or momentarily distract them which would open the door for the straight right to land. Furthermore, on occasion, he would run forward and throw a lead left uppercut to make the opponent think about multiple things throughout the fight.

[Rafael dos Anjos vs Tony Ferguson : UFC Fight Night 98]

[Edson Barboza vs Tony Ferguson:The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale]

However, this strategy should make the fight easier for Khabib Nurmagomedov because Ferguson will already be within grappling and striking range. As a result of this, Khabib can just duck down to grab one or both of his legs and start pushing him towards the fence. Once this process is complete, he will regrip the legs to attempt a takedown to get the fight to the ground. If he is successful, he will proceed to establish wrist control and try to land some ground and pound. Eventually, this style will drain most of the stamina from Ferguson thus preventing a comeback on his part. 

[Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Darrell Horcher Full Fight Video " Fullmmavideos]

[Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Rafael dos Anjos - ufcbrdzolebi]