Tony Ferguson calls Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor “knuckleheads” and believes the two are a poor representation of mixed martial arts.

Last night (Oct. 6), Ferguson returned to the Octagon in style. He defeated Anthony Pettis via TKO when “Showtime’s” corner stopped the fight before the third round could begin. “El Cucuy” had recovered from torn ligaments in his knee, which caused him to lose his interim UFC lightweight title.

Tony Ferguson Rips Khabib Nurmagomedov & Conor McGregor

Ferguson spoke to reporters during the UFC 229 post-fight press conference. “El Cucuy” made it clear that he’s ready to show both Nurmagomedov and McGregor that he’s the real champion (via MMAFighting.com):

“I’m the f*cking champ. You guys realize that, right? I’ve been the champ. I am the champ. You have these two knuckleheads over there making this sport look bad. … I don’t have a belt up here, I don’t need to have a belt up here to be the champ. So if you guys want to feed that, go ahead, put that in your pocket and take it with you. But what I’m doing here is cleaning up the sport. This is an Olympic-level type of sport and it needs to be cleaned up. I’ve been training like an Olympian. I’ve took so many different things out of my life that I didn’t need anymore and I just felt lifted. So awesome. Such a great feeling.”

After Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the main event of UFC 229, a brawl ensued. “The Eagle” brawled with Dillon Danis in the crowd, while Nurmagomedov’s teammates brawled with McGregor inside the Octagon. UFC president Dana White didn’t rule out the possibility that Nurmagomedov could be stripped of his lightweight title pending a potential punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Do you think Tony Ferguson gets the next shot at the UFC lightweight title once the mess with Khabib Nurmagomedov clears up?