Unbeaten Nurmagomedov blasts Ferguson, calls Diaz & McGregor 'bums'

Unbeaten UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov took aim at the UFC, Tony Ferguson, Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor during an emotional interview ahead of his fight against Darrell Horcher this weekend.

Nurmagomedov had been due to take on Ferguson at the UFC on FOX 19 event in Florida on Saturday, but his opponent pulled out injured - the third time a bout between the pair has fallen through.

When asked about Ferguson's offer of another date and his insinuation that the Russian was avoiding him, Nurmagomedov hit back.

"How can you ask that?" he said. "He's injured. He pulled out. I'm here.

"The UFC gave me a fight versus Tony, April 16, and I am here. Where is Tony? Tony pulled out. Please, shut up. Shut up. I have a fight.

"I no longer want to speak about this guy. If you have questions about my fight, about my comeback, about my future, you can ask. Please, forget about Tony."

After two years out through injury, Nurmagomedov said he is now ready to fight again and wants to challenge the established names in the lightweight division.

He insisted the UFC should give him a title shot and ridiculed the likes of Diaz and McGregor for losing fights, calling them 'bums'.

Nurmagomedov's last fight in the UFC was back in 2014 when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos and the Brazilian recently offered him the chance of a rematch at UFC 200.

As a practicing Muslim it is unlikely the Russian would take the fight as it clashes with Ramadan, but he is intent on putting on a good show against Horcher on Saturday in anticipation of a title match further down the line.

"You can watch all my fights, and you'll see nobody has rocked me," he said.

"This is saved my mental smarts, because I'm not a stupid fighter. I am a smart fighter, I think.

"Every day, I get to a new level, and I want to show how I improve my game on Saturday. I feel like two years I've sat in jail, and now I've become free.

"I am very excited about [the fight]."