Khabib Nurmagomedov Gives Prediction On How He’ll Beat Tony Ferguson

We are just over a week away from the big clash between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

To promote this upcoming fight, these fighters took part in a media conference call earlier this week.

During the UFC 223 call, they were both asked about how this fight may go. The Russian predicted that he would finish with a left hook and end with a choke.

“I’m going to give him a very strong left hook — left hook, he goes down and then I choke him,” chimed Nurmagomedov when he was asked how the fight would come to close (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting).

“So a rear-naked choke, that’s what he’s thinking?” remarked Ferguson in response. “I’ve got something planned for your ass. I’m going to give him very nice D’arce choke,” said Nurmagomedov.

“He’s a tough guy. He’s a good fighter, a very good fighter,” Nurmagomedov began. [He’s on a] 10-fight win streak, but UFC don’t give him respect because of Conor — Conor is still the real champ. [Ferguson] is interim champ, I don’t understand it, but he’s upset about this. It’s okay, Tony. He’s a great fighter, but his personality…I don’t understand this guy — he looks stupid.”

Nurmagomedov made it clear that he has been preparing and training like this bout will be “the hardest fight” of his life.

“[As a] fighter, of course I do not underestimate him. I respect him as a fighter. He has very good skills. When I’m preparing I think it’s gonna be the hardest fight of my life, this is what I’m thinking,” Nurmagomedov said.

“This is an MMA fight. This is not grappling or striking — this is an MMA fight. We have a plan and we’ve worked on this. When the cage door closes I’m going to listen to my coaches, my corners and follow my plan,” he said. “This is why this fight is so interesting because nobody knows what’s going to happen.”

UFC 223 is set to take place on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6 p.m. ET.