Tony Ferguson comments after Dana White says he turned down Max Holloway at UFC 236
UFC president Dana White revealed to ESPN on Friday that featherweight champion Max Holloway would move up to 155 pounds to face Dustin Poirier for the interim UFC lightweight championship at UFC 236 on April 13 in Atlanta.
The announcement was a bit of a surprise to most pundits, who had heard the swirling rumors of a Holloway move to lightweight, but with the opponent expected to be top contender Tony Ferguson. White admitted to ESPN that Holloway vs. Ferguson was the initial plan, but added that Ferguson declined the fight. He didn't give an explanation as to why Ferguson shot down the bout.
Ferguson did little to clear the air on Saturday, but did post his first comments since White broke the news on Instagram on Saturday morning. He hinted at perhaps returning too soon from knee surgery last year.
"We took some unneeded damage this past year. From the knee surgery and battling through adversity really put a damper on the overall mood these last few months. We're working harder to be better than yesterday," he wrote.
"I make lots of mistakes, nobody's perfect. Have a great weekend, be safe, and stay warm. We got work to do."
Ferguson injured his knee in a freak accident leading up to a planned bout with Nurmagomedov last year, but then return at UFC 229 to fight and defeat Anthony Pettis. It was his only bout of 2018. UFC 229 was the most prominent event in the company's history, as Nurmagomedov also defeated Conor McGregor in the fight card's main event
UFC 236 not only features Holloway vs. Poirier in what should determine Nurmagomedov's next challenger, but also includes an interim UFC middleweight title bout between Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya.
Middleweight champ Robert Whittaker was sidelined on the day of UFC 234, where he was expected to defend against Gastelum, because of an intestinal hernia and collapsed bowel. Without a clear timeline for his return, Gastelum and Adesanya will fight for an interim title.
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