UFC 249: Eccentric Ferguson to face Khabib replacement who wants his nose broken so UFC will have to pay for surgery. Fight Preview and Odds

Famous MMA Fighter Tony Ferguson, who has been labelled as mystery, oddball, eccentric was about to fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the sixth time in his career. However, he is now preparing to face Justin Gaethje to crown an interim lightweight champion.  Nurmagomedov dropped off the card due to current travel restrictions caused by coronavirus pandemic. As the restrictions prevented him from travelling from Russia to the United States.  Talking about the matter, Ferguson, who is known as “El Cucuy” said:

“F*** Khabib. I’m defending my belt for the third time. This is for the real belt, this is not for an interim title. This is for the real championship. It’s champ only, buddy.”

But Ferguson is not the only controversial fighter, as his new rival Justin Gaethje made some interesting comments ahead of the fight. Gaethje has a reputation of a finisher but has asked Ferguson to broke his nose. 

"I’ll probably bleed. I hope he breaks my nose, I’ve been waiting for a long time for someone to break my nose, so I can get it fixed. It’s going to be fun," Gaethje told BT Sport. "I need my nose broken,’ he continued in a media conference call. ‘I haven’t been able to breath through my nose for like 12 years since wrestling. ‘So hopefully one of those elbows cracks my nose, the UFC has to pay for the sh*t, and it’s an exciting fight."

They are set to face each other for the interim lightweight title at UFC 249 on Saturday, May 9, 2020, in Jacksonville, Florida. And it going to be the first sporting event to return in the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic struck.  Both fighters have something in common, as they agreed to fight during a global pandemic. Ferguson and Gaethje both believe they have made the right decision. 

“We’ve got to go out there and keep sports alive,” Ferguson said Tuesday.  While his opponent added: "We’re going to bring a sense of normalcy to people. I’m proud to be a part of it. It’s the opportunity to inspire. People need to be inspired right now."

Tony Ferguson VS Justin Gaethje: Statistics 

Ferguson has won 12 consecutive fights, the last being a second-round TKO against Donald Cerrone on June 8. While Ferguson has not lost since dropping a unanimous decision to Michael Johnson on May 5, 2012.   Tony Ferguson - "El Cucuy"  RECORD: 26-3-0

• HEIGHT: 5' 11"
• WEIGHT: 155 lbs.
• REACH: 76"

SLpM - Significant Strikes Landed per Minute - 5.81 Str. Acc. - Significant Striking Accuracy - 45% SApM - Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute- 3.75% Str. Def. - Significant Strike Defence (the % of opponents strikes that did not land)- 63% TD Avg. - Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes- 0.56 TD Acc. - Takedown Accuracy- 42% TD Def. - Takedown Defense (the % of opponents TD attempts that did not land)- 75% Sub. Avg. - Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes- 1.4 Justin Gaethje -"The Highlight"  RECORD: 21-2-0

• HEIGHT: 5' 11"
• WEIGHT: 155 lbs.
• REACH: 70"

SLpM:  Significant Strikes Landed per Minute- 8.57 Str. Acc.: Significant Striking Accuracy -55% SApM: Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute-9.67 Str. Def: Significant Strike Defence (the % of opponents strikes that did not land)- 54% TD Avg.: Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes-0.00 TD Acc.: Takedown Accuracy- 0% TD Def.: Takedown Defense (the % of opponents TD attempts that did not land)-80% Sub. Avg.: Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes- 0.0

VBET Odds for the fight: 

Tony Ferguson: 1.52 Justin Gaethje: 2.56 Click here for more odds by VBET for the fight. 

MMA: Full Metal Dojo. Hard 8 preview and odds