Ferguson: UFC shouldn't strip me of title over 'freak injury'

Tony Ferguson wasn't pleased to see his title stripped over an injury no one could have seen coming.

The top lightweight lost his interim UFC crown on Sunday after tearing his LCL a week out from a date with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, and then took umbrage over the promotion's decision Monday on "The MMA Hour."

Ferguson heard his knee pop when he tripped while doing media rounds ahead of the long-awaited matchup this past weekend, and underwent an MRI on Saturday after his knee "locked up" during several attempts to train through the injury. He ultimately withdrew from the fight on Sunday, and Dana White later told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that Ferguson was no longer the champion, as featherweight king Max Holloway had agreed to face Nurmagomedov for the lightweight crown on short notice.

"You shouldn’t strip a champion due to a freak injury that happened during a UFC-obligated media event," Ferguson said.

"I mean seriously, there is a precedent for having a fight for a 'real' title and keeping an 'interim' title intact. They just did that with Robert Whittaker last year."

Ferguson has a point, as Whittaker claimed an interim middleweight title in July before Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping clashed for the undisputed crown at UFC 217 in November.

The now-former champ has yet to discuss his future with the UFC, and admitted he was devastated when news of the decision reached his ears.

"I haven’t spoken with the UFC yet about what's next," Ferguson said. "So when I saw what was in the (ESPN) interview, it shocked me, man, it hurt me even more. It was something I couldn’t control with this injury. This all started snowballing this weekend, man. Of all weekends. The UFC hasn't said anything to me about my title going away, and I don't think it will go away."

Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have now seen four dates between them fall through, with each fighter pulling out twice. The former added that he couldn't put a date on a return to action, as he's yet to consult a specialist on whether he should go under the knife.

Nurmagomedov will face Holloway in UFC 223's new main event Saturday at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

- With h/t to MMA Fighting