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Islam Makhachev and Tony Ferguson are at loggerheads long after their competitive rivalry died out. After Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, Makhachev pursued a fight against 'El Cucuy' to climb the rankings ladder. However, the fight never materialized.
Ferguson's grappling and unorthodox striking was regarded as a problem for the Dagestani-style wrestling popularized by fighters like Nurmagomedov and Makhachev. But in a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Makhachev said that the American does not deserve a black belt in Jiu-jitsu.
When asked to share his thoughts on whether Ferguson should be allowed to keep the black belt, Makhachev said:
"[Tony] Ferguson... No, he doesn't have a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is good with a couple of things on the ground. But he is not the real black belt."
Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below:
Tony Ferguson took to the comments section of the post and gave a trademark cryptic reply:
For the uninitiated, Ferguson is a black belt in 10th Planet jiu-jitsu under its founder Eddie Bravo. It's a non-traditional form of jiu-jitsu that is characterized by unorthodox leg lock attacks and guard positions. While it proved effective during the peak of his career, 'El Cucuy' struggled to hold his own against Brazilian jiu-jitsu grapplers like Charles Oliveira in later years.
What does Islam Makhachev think about other UFC fighters' jiu-jitsu black belts?
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's comments on Tony Ferguson were part of an interview segment where he was asked to share his thoughts on which fighters deserve to keep their jiu-jitsu black belts.
Speaking about former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Makhachev said:
"Yeah, he can have [the black belt]."
Makhachev's last opponent and former interim lightweight title holder Dustin Poirier displayed effective submission defense in their UFC 302 fight but ultimately tapped to a Brabo choke in Round 5. Makhachev said about him:
"Maybe brown belt."
According to Makhachev, interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is deserving of a black belt while Paddy Pimblett's jiu-jitsu skills are comparable to a brown or purple belt.
