Though Tony Ferguson's octagon return is now just weeks away, his focus recently shifted towards a man not even on the UFC roster.
Ali Abdelaziz is Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager and unsurprisingly, has history with Ferguson as a result. His client has been booked to fight Ferguson four times but for a range of reasons, the highly anticipated bout has never taken place. With that prior interaction in mind, Abdelaziz recently tweeted an insult in Ferguson's direction.
The real champion fighting the number one contender & a clown fighting a cowboy & a quitter fighting someone who will take his soul away @Justin_Gaethje @TonyFergusonXT @DustinPoirier @TeamKhabib pic.twitter.com/bwFwkM9nnR
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) May 22, 2019
Unsurprisingly insulted, Ferguson eventually responded with a comment of his own:
Ain’t No Clowning Around You Fake Fuck. @AliAbdelaziz00 You Better Leave My Name Out Of Your Mouth Before I Mop The Mat With Your Sorry Ass. You Ain’t Shit W/ Out Your Homeboys Ya Snitch. No Pride, No Guts, Just Like Your Paper Chump @TeamKhabib See You In Person Soon. pic.twitter.com/LzWGpO3tm0
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) May 25, 2019
At this point, things escalated once more, with Abdelaziz calling Ferguson "punk boy" along the way:
You fighting on the under card June 8 Focus on that and shut your mouth Talk is Cheap next time you see me do Something about it punk boy ------ https://t.co/7rxOyl38x3
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) May 25, 2019
It's unclear if Ferguson's storied past with Nurmagomedov and his team will reach a fitting conclusion but if he defeats Cerrone, Ferguson's focus will be the on the title regardless of its owner once the time arrives.
That fight with Cerrone takes place at UFC 238 on June 8th. The event is headlined by Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes as well as Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Eye.
