Ferguson: 'I don't give a shit' if Khabib fight happens

Tony Ferguson isn't thinking about UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of his fight against Justin Gaethje.

"I don't give a shit," Ferguson said Thursday at the UFC 249 media day when asked if he thinks he'll ever fight Nurmagomedov. "To me, that guy doesn't even exist. The fight that's gonna happen is at UFC 249."

"El Cucuy" was initially scheduled to face Nurmagomedov on April 18, but the Russian was forced out of the fight due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. It was the fifth time Nurmagomedov-Ferguson, one of the most anticipated bouts in UFC history, has been canceled.

"(Nurmagomedov) doesn't show up, man," Ferguson said. "He ran away. He got scared. He could've stayed (in the U.S.), he could've trained. ... That dude didn't want to make weight. I called him out again. That dude doesn't matter anymore."

Even if it means potentially risking a shot at the undisputed title, Ferguson opted to stay on the UFC 249 card against a new opponent in Gaethje. Following the event's postponement to Saturday due to the pandemic, the two lightweight contenders are now scheduled to meet for the interim title in the main event in Jacksonville.