Eddie Bravo Outlines Why Tony Ferguson’s Arsenal of Weapons Will be a Problem For Khabib Nurmagomedov

Tony Ferguson’s jiu-jitsu coach, Eddie Bravo, is keenly aware of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s awe-inspiring wrestling and top game and that few opponents have had answers for it. But, recently the 10th Planet founder outlined why he believes Ferguson’s arsenal of weapons will pose a serious threat to Nurmagomedov’s reign as the lightweight champ.

Bravo discusses Ferguson’s “weapons”

Ferguson has been booked to fight Nurmagomedov (again) on April 18th at UFC 249, after winning 12 straight fights. The bout will mark the first time “El Cucuy” has fought since last June, when he recorded a TKO win (via doctor stoppage) over Donald Cerrone.

Due to the world-class abilities of both Khabib and Ferguson, many have argued that on paper, the upcoming fight has the potential to be the greatest lightweight bout in history. That said, the consensus seems to be that Nurmagomedov will retain the belt. The champion is currently the favorite on the betting lines with odds ranging from -24o to -280.

But, during a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Bravo had this to say about how he thinks Ferguson matches up, against Khabib (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“We’ve been preparing for Khabib for a long time,” Bravo said. “… We’re always preparing for the worst-case scenario, and Khabib is the worst-case scenario. He’s probably the best ground-and-pounder wrestler ever. This is the toughest challenge ever in MMA for 10th Planet.”

“…Tony wrestled his whole (expletive) life,” Bravo added. “There’s a light year difference between Conor’s wrestling and Tony’s wrestling, so you’ve got that. Tony will throw D’Arce (chokes) standing and from all different angles, and while you’re trying to take him down. So Khabib’s got to worry about that.

“Khabib has my respect a million percent – that guy’s insane. But Tony has so many (expletive) weapons. He might have more weapons than anyone in the history of the UFC.”

Hard to argue with Bravo

Now, sure, Khabib supporters might argue that Bravo is being biased on account of his coaching relationship with Ferguson. They might also point out that Ferguson was taken down by Kevin Lee and Danny Castillo, and many would agree Nurmagomedov’s takedowns and top game are on another level than those two.

But, Bravo is right that Ferguson has many, dangerous weapons, which could be an issue for Khabib. Not only does he have unorthodox striking and underrated wrestling, but he has nasty chokes as Bravo mentioned. Further, “El Cucuy” has slicing elbows and cardio for days. So, we could be in store for a very compelling, bloody war.

UFC 249 will be hosted by the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.