Perhaps it’ll always be like this between Tony Ferguson and Ali Abdelaziz.
One will tweet something about the other, the one being talked about sees it, and then off they go: Twitter beef. It happened Friday night thanks to a clown emoji.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Twitter account shared a graphic highlighting the situation at the top of the UFC lightweight division, pairing images of undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov – who Abdelaziz manages – against interim titleholder Dustin Poirier, Ferguson vs. Donald Cerrone at UFC 238, and Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje.
Abdelaziz also tweeted ESPN’s graphic but altered it by placing a clown emoji over Ferguson’s face and a chicken emoji over McGregor’s. Abdelaziz even included “El Cucuy’s” handle in his tweet.
The real champion fighting the number one contender & a clown fighting a cowboy & a quitter fighting someone who will take his soul away @Justin_Gaethje @TonyFergusonXT @DustinPoirier @TeamKhabib
Two days later, on Friday, Ferguson responded with heat, threatening Abdelaziz and insulting Nurmagomedov.
Ain’t No Clowning Around You Fake (expletive). @AliAbdelaziz00 You Better Leave My Name Out Of Your Mouth Before I Mop The Mat With Your Sorry Ass. You Ain’t (expletive) W/ Out Your Homeboys Ya Snitch. No Pride, No Guts, Just Like Your Paper Chump @TeamKhabib See You In Person Soon.
Abdelaziz fired back daring Ferguson to do something about it next time they see each other.
You fighting on the under card June 8 Focus on that and shut your mouth Talk is Cheap next time you see me do Something about it punk boy 🤡🤡🤡
Ferguson saw that tweet and had a more measured response.
I Can’t Stoop To Your Level Anymore. You’re An Embarrassment To This Sport & To All MMA Fans. I’m Too Focused For You & Anyone Else. Yeah I’m Fighting On The Undercard For #UFC238 But I Don’t Mind. It’s Champ Shit Only Ali, Something You’ll Never Know About. Praying For You
Abdelaziz said he’d be praying for Ferguson, too.
This is just the latest in a years-long history of beefing between Abdelaziz and Ferguson, who’s been booked against Nurmagomedov four times only to have the fight cancelled for one reason or another.
The most recent instance came last year. Ferguson, then interim champion, and Nurmagomedov were set to meet for the undisputed title at UFC 223, but Ferguson dropped out with six days to go after suffering knee injury.
Ferguson was stripped of the interim belt and has called out Nurmagomedov ever since. Ferguson, who’s on an 11-fight winning streak, beat Anthony Pettis last October at UFC 229. Recent personal issues put “El Cucuy’s” career on hold, but he’s set to make his return vs. Cerrone next month at UFC 238.
Nurmagomedov and Poirier are expected to unify the titles in September at UFC 242.
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
