UFC 223: The fight world had trouble processing the bizarre Tony Ferguson injury news
Ferguson was reportedly forced to withdraw from next weekend's lightweight UFC title fight after a freak injury
The MMA world was thrown into chaos on Sunday night when news broke that Tony Ferguson apparently suffered a knee injury during a trip over the weekend. That unfortunate injury was reportedly suffered as Ferguson ... wait for it ... tripped while attempting to say hi to an acquaintance.
OK then.
I'm told the injury to Tony Ferguson was literally caused by a trip. The freak accident of all freak accidents. He was walking, saw someone he wasn't expecting to see, veered sharply to say hello and tripped.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 1, 2018
As a result, next weekend's lightweight title fight between Ferguson, the interim champion, and Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 in Brooklyn has been canceled. The matchup was supposed to headline the event, but it's the fourth time that a scheduled Ferguson-Nurmagomedov fight has been spoiled before coming to fruition.
At least they're even.
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 1, 2018
2015: Khabib pulls out of fight with Tony due to a rib injury.
2016: Tony pulls out of fight with Khabib due to lung issues.
2017: Khabib pulls out of fight with Tony due to a bad weight cut.
2018: Tony pulls out of fight with Khabib with a knee injury. pic.twitter.com/TCghdd5VYH
With this latest development coming out on April 1, there were plenty of people who brushed off the news as an elaborate April Fool's Day hoax by the UFC, which it may very well be. But UFC president Dana White seemed quite serious when he told news outlets on Sunday that Ferguson had withdrawn from the fight thanks to a torn knee ligament.
In his place, featherweight champion Max Holloway will slot in to challenge the undefeated Nurmagomedov, giving him a chance to join Conor McGregor as the only two UFC fighters to hold two belts at once.
To say that the debacle sent shockwaves through the MMA community would be an understatement. Many prominent personalities across the sport took to Twitter to weigh in with their thoughts and reactions on Easter Sunday.
What.....
— Kevin MTP Lee (@MoTownPhenom) April 1, 2018
Booked 4 times and canceled 4 times. I’m in disbelief! Idk if the UFC will rebook this one for a 5th time. We might look back one day and realize Khabib vs Tony was the best matchup we never got to see..
— Shane Burgos (@HurricaneShaneB) April 1, 2018
I don’t think I am ready to believe this until tomorrow, but I am just going to leave this here.… https://t.co/3EkHdLhoU8
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 1, 2018
My reaction to @BlessedMMA vs @TeamKhabib pic.twitter.com/Z9xzmwf7oi
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) April 1, 2018
Max Holloway is a monster way to step up this fights still exciting #ufc223
— Belal muhammad (@bullyb170) April 1, 2018
That person that seemed so important at that moment is no longer Tony’s friend! This is crazy! https://t.co/nlBPAnlRvQ
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 1, 2018
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) April 1, 2018
For what it's worth, White was asked if he'd be willing to book Ferguson and Nurmagomedov yet again for a fifth time to see if the pair could finally meet in the Octagon. His answer? "Hell no."















