Dana White admits Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov just “wasn't meant to be”: Watch

UFC president Dana White recently admitted that a matchup between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov “just wasn’t meant to be” as the two have seen their fights fall through on numerous occasions over the last five years. Ferguson suffered his second loss of the year at the co-main event of UFC 256, losing to Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision (30–26, 30–26, 30–26). That defeat appears to have ruled out any chance of a possible Khabib vs Ferguson bout after their fight was cancelled for a fifth and last time in April 2020.

“It just didn't [happen]. It wasn't from lack of trying. We put that fight together five times. It just wasn't meant to be. I don't think about it at all,” White said at the UFC 256 post-fight conference.

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Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov: History of the most “cursed” match-ups

The two stars were first scheduled to collide in 2015, but a rib injury forced Khabib Nurmagomedov to withdrew. Tony Ferguson then had a lung issue before the 2016 bout and had to be replaced by Darrell Horcher. A year later, while trying to make weight for their third rescheduled bout, Ferguson developed a kidney problem and was again forced to withdraw.

The two were then scheduled to fight in April 2018, but Tony Ferguson suffered a freak accident, tearing his knee ligament in the process. Their most recent fight was cancelled due to travel restrictions arising from the coronavirus pandemic. While Khabib Nurmagomedov was not allowed to leave Russia, he was replaced by Justin Gaethje who went on to defeat Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, giving him his first 2020 loss.

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Dana White praises Tony Ferguson despite loss to Charles Oliveira

White, on the other hand, was at the ringside to watch the Ferguson vs Oliveira fight. And though he believes that he had a higher expectation from the former interim champion going into the match, he was impressed by the veteran’s performance. “I mean 10 out of 10 people tap to that (round one) armbar. The fact that he even made it through the armbar is unbelievable. Just a testament to how tough and durable and crazy Tony Ferguson is,” he added.

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Image Source: AP