Tony Ferguson Blasts Khabib, Says He'll 'Mop the Mat' with Him Ahead of UFC 249

Tony Ferguson wasted no time taking shots at the champ at Friday's press conference to promote UFC 249. 

The 36-year-old lightweight is scheduled to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event when UFC 249 gets underway at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 18, and he made sure to give Khabib some extra motivation heading into the bout. 

"Watch when you get your ass kicked by an old man," Ferguson shouted at the lightweight champion, according to MMA Fighting. "I've just got old man strength. Champ s--t only, motherf--ker, I can't understand you, you son of a b--h. I'm gonna mop the mat with your f--king hat."

At one point, Nurmagomedov appeared to stomp the championship belt held by Ferguson and took shots at the Mexican American's heritage. 

"Whoever wins this fight, this guy is going to be the greatest lightweight ever," Khabib said, per MMA Fighting. "Only one thing makes me sad, this guy [Ferguson] become a little bit old. He's 36, 37 years old, when I beat him, people are going to talk about, 'Oh, he's old now.'"

Ferguson (25-3-0) last fought in June 2019 at UFC 238 in Chicago, defeating Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in two rounds via technical knockout. That earned him a shot at Nurmagomedov (28-0-0), who hasn't entered the Octagon since choking out Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September. 

Ferguson is hoping the nearly 12 months off give him an advantage over the undisputed lightweight champion, though he already enters the bout with a slight height and reach advantage. 

For Khabib, that doesn't matter as much as the fighter's intelligence. 

"Why people don't like [Ferguson], it's because he's a stupid guy," Nurmagomedov said. "Nobody understands him, honestly, he looks stupid, that's why nobody likes him. But he's a very good fighter and I respect his skill, that's why he's here."