Like many, Edson Barboza is expecting a great fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
Nurmagomedov defends his lightweight title against Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. It’s a unique matchup between two killers in the lightweight division who both have unprecedented 12-fight winning streaks in the UFC.
Barboza was notably a victim of both competitors during their winning streaks, having been submitted by Ferguson in 2015 and outpointed by Nurmagomedov in 2017.
But when it comes to calling the fight, the Brazilian has a hard time despite facing both fighters.
“It’s going to be a great fight. Very excited for this one,” Barboza told Helen Yee in a recent interview. “It’s funny because sometimes I see the fight, I think about the fight and think it’s a good fight for Khabib. But at the same time, Ferguson is hard to fight. His style, he’s a little bit different with everybody.”
However, if he had to give the slight advantage to one, it would be Ferguson.
“I think Ferguson because he’s a little bit better striker,” Barboza explained. “He’s more creative. Everybody knows what Khabib is doing but he does it very well. Everybody knows but nobody can stop it. I feel Ferguson because he’s a little bit more creative, you never know what’s coming.”
But like Barboza previously stated, both fighters have their strengths and that’s what makes the fight so compelling and highly-anticipated. After all, it was previously booked four times only to be canceled on all four occasions.
“Both guys have power,” he added. “I feel Khabib has a little bit more power, especially on the ground, he’s a little bit stronger. Like I said, some things Khabib is better, some things Tony Ferguson is better. It makes the match exciting.”
The matchup is still over two months away, so one can only hope the fifth time is a charm.
