In case you missed it, Justin Gaethje shocked the world over the weekend when he TKO’d Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight in the main event of UFC 249.
Ferguson’s loss has quieted much of the buzz that had been begging for a rematch between him and undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The two were originally scheduled to headline the event against each other, but coronavirus-based complications caused the matchup to fall apart for the fifth time. Many people assumed that Gaethje, although undeniably worthy of the opportunity, would be just another step for Ferguson on the way to an eventual fight with Nurmagomedov. Now, though, Gaethje will be the one to step up and face Nurmagomedov to try to take the title for good.
Nurmagomedov is well aware, though, of the work that his rival has had to go through over the years, and after all that hype, it’s only natural that he may be disappointed about having to wait even longer to face off against Ferguson. So after the fateful fight, Nurmagomedov left the rivalry behind and shared a kind message to his would-be opponent:
While these supportive messages aren’t necessarily uncommon even in the MMA world, it’s still refreshing to see a fighter abandoning opportunities to gloat or talk smack in favor of supportive, uplifting shout-outs. Hopefully these two eventually get to battle it out in the Octagon.
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