{"id":46291,"date":"2017-10-07T07:06:28","date_gmt":"2017-10-07T07:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=46291"},"modified":"2017-10-07T07:06:28","modified_gmt":"2017-10-07T07:06:28","slug":"tony-ferguson-takes-kevin-lee-ufc-216-no-fan-conor-mcgregor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/tony-ferguson-takes-kevin-lee-ufc-216-no-fan-conor-mcgregor.html","title":{"rendered":"Tony Ferguson, who takes on Kevin Lee at UFC 216, is no fan of Conor McGregor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tony Ferguson, who takes on Kevin Lee at UFC 216, is no fan of Conor McGregor<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Tony Ferguson, who takes on Kevin Lee at UFC 216, is no fan of Conor McGregor:-If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then it\u2019s clear what Tony Ferguson is doing to contrast the riches Conor McGregor has achieved this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI look at character. I can see right through people,\u201d Costa Mesa\u2019s Ferguson \u2014 wearing a simple black hoodie and jeans to a meeting with reporters \u2014 said recently after closing an intense training camp in Big Bear. \u201cI\u2019m not fake. My outfit probably cost less than $100.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On Saturday night at Las Vegas\u2019 T-Mobile Arena, Ferguson (23-3) puts his nine-fight UFC winning streak on the line when he meets Kevin Lee (16-2) in the UFC 216 main-event bout for the organization\u2019s interim lightweight title.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee put a scare into Ferguson and the UFC by nearly missing weight Friday. He weighed 156 pounds \u2014 one pound over the limit \u2014 at the UFC\u2019s 11 a.m. deadline. But Nevada Athletic Commission rules allow a fighter to shed as much as two pounds with a one-hour extension, and a stressed Lee returned nude behind a towel to weigh 154.5 pounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fight\u2019s interim tag is there because Ireland\u2019s charismatic McGregor hasn\u2019t been in the octagon since winning the 155-pound belt in November.<\/span><\/p>\n

McGregor took an extended break to await the birth of his son, then lost by 10th-round technical knockout to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an Aug. 26 novelty boxing match. The fight drew about 4 million pay-per-view buys and likely put $100 million in McGregor\u2019s pocket after he promoted the bout wearing designer suits and a mink coat.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a recent interview, McGregor said fighting the Ferguson-Lee winner next might be his best option as Nate Diaz perhaps is pricing himself out of a trilogy fight against McGregor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomewhere along the line, righteousness and virtue has gotten skipped,\u201d Ferguson said, knocking the UFC for yielding to its No. 1 breadwinner’s wishes. \u201c\u2026 Good for [McGregor]. He has a lot of likes, a lot of followers. I might not be as marketable as Conor. I don\u2019t care. I make my money winning and I\u2019m here to remind everybody.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ferguson has also been sidelined since November after Russia\u2019s No. 1 lightweight contender, Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0), fell ill trying to make weight for their March fight. Nurmagomedov could be ready to fight the Ferguson-Lee winner in late December, the fighter\u2019s manager told The Times on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seventh-ranked Lee, a strong wrestler riding a five-fight win streak, is seen by the UFC as such a formidable test that it kept the fight as the main event even after the scrapped September flyweight title fight between champion Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg was shifted to Saturday\u2019s card.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson can break longtime middleweight champion Anderson Silva\u2019s UFC-record 10 consecutive successful title defenses by defeating Borg.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking to make a finish,\u201d said Johnson, who told reporters he\u2019s receiving a cut of the pay-per-view profits for the first time in his career. \u201cI\u2019ll step back [if the record is set], get to my new house, look at my new fireplace, have a delicious beer and say, \u2018This is what it feels like.\u2019 But the thing about this sport, it\u2019s right on to the next one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Johnson is his division\u2019s full champion, Ferguson\u2019s entertainment value and the fact he fights in McGregor\u2019s division are being considered, so there is a coattails benefit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not here to play this game. I\u2019m here to remind [fighters] this is my show. This is my time. I deserve this,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cI didn\u2019t talk my way here. I earned my way here. I\u2019m going to fight like I have a chip on my shoulder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ferguson was so agitated at a UFC 216 luncheon last week he nearly fought with heavyweight Fabricio Werdum, who is handled by Nurmagomedov\u2019s manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also got moody with The Times on Thursday, prompting someone close to him to remark, \u201cThat\u2019s Tony being Tony.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Said Lee: \u201cHe\u2019s a weirdo.”<\/span><\/p>\n

McGregor\u2019s trainer has speculated the Irishman could return to the UFC on St. Patrick\u2019s Day evening, but when Ferguson was asked if he expects himself or someone else to be the opponent, he responded, \u201cI\u2019m not going to prepare for a fight that\u2019s not there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe rankings go out the window\u201d for McGregor, Ferguson said. \u201cWhat I do [Saturday] is going to be on their conscience. When that time comes, I\u2019ll make them feel guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne way or another, they\u2019re going to run into my [rear]. You\u2019ve got a guy [Nurmagomedov] who can\u2019t make weight, a guy [McGregor] who\u2019s a no-show. He needs to defend or vacate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The words require a win over Lee, 25, who could find it difficult after shedding 19\u00bd pounds in less than 24 hours to maintain his endurance if the fight lasts its maximum 25 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI ran every night, and sometimes up there you didn\u2019t feel like you were running with yourself, so that makes you run a little faster,\u201d Ferguson cracked. \u201cI would\u2019ve been OK. I would\u2019ve choked [that animal] out. And I will have my hand raised.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

UFC 216<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Event:<\/strong> No. 2 Tony Ferguson (23-2) vs. No. 7 Kevin Lee (16-2) for UFC interim lightweight belt<\/span><\/p>\n

When:<\/strong> Saturday; pay-per-view card begins at 7 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where:<\/strong> T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas<\/span><\/p>\n

Television:<\/strong> Pay-per-view, $59.99; preliminaries on FX at 5 p.m. (PDT)<\/span><\/p>\n

Undercard:<\/strong> Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1) vs. No. 3 Ray Borg (11-2) for Johnson\u2019s flyweight belt; No. 2 Fabricio Werdum (21-7-1) vs. No. 6 Derrick Lewis (18-5), heavyweights; Mara Romero Bella (11-4) vs. Kalindra Faria (18-5-1), women\u2019s flyweights; No. 12 Beneil Darriush (14-3) vs. No. 14 Evan Dunham (17-6), lightweights<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/boxing\/la-sp-ufc-216-story.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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