Tony Ferguson was set to face off against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 223 last weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Then, the unthinkable happened. Ferguson was making the media rounds for some pre-fight promotion when he tripped on a cord and suffered a serious injury. Ferguson suffered a torn LCL which required surgery and forced him to withdraw from the bout.
Ferguson was also stripped as the promotion’s interim lightweight champion.
A whirlwind of events happened throughout the week which ultimately led to Nurmagomedov winning the lightweight title over Al Iaquinta, who was his third opponent of the week.
As for Ferguson, he is currently recovering from a successful surgery.
On Thursday, “El Cucuy” took to social media and shared a gruesome photo of his surgically repaired knee. Fair warning, the image of Ferguson’s knee is not for the faint of heart, so if you have a weak stomach, it is time to click “back” now.
Check it out:
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
“I hate sitting on the sidelines, but ‘belt or no belt, I won’t allow that to define me.’ This is my road to recover,” Ferguson wrote.
There is no timetable for a potential return to the Octagon for Ferguson, but when he is able to return to the Octagon, it will be interesting to see if he gets a crack at the belt. UFC boss Dana White said he would never book Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson again after the fight fell through for a fourth time, so a future booking is up in the air.