The secret is out. All the bad blood between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor was just that, bad blood. But in terms of a pure sporting rival to threaten Khabib's legacy, it has always been about one man – Tony Ferguson.
The pair faced off at the UFC 249 press conference in Las Vegas on Friday and, after a typically understated start to proceedings from Khabib, Tony Ferguson hit a raw nerve when he referred to "street fights". Khabib then became more fidgety and started addressing Ferguson directly as the pair engaged in an angry back and forth.
I say angry – the anger only really seemed to be coming from one side, and it wasn't the challenger.
Ferguson flip-flopped from cheeky trash-talking soundbites to respectful remarks, sometimes within the space of the same answer. But, most of the time, he had a smirk on his face. He knew what he was doing. People expected "El Cucuy" to be crazy and unpredictable, so he brought both in spades.
Also on rt.com Relive Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson's fiery face off at UFC 249 press conference in Las Vegas (VIDEO)But when he realized he had gotten under Khabib's skin, he turned things up. He talked over the champion's answers, he mocked the Russian's answers and he took aim at his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
Clearly, both men have had a lot of time to think about each other, having been booked to fight four times previously. During that time the pair's winning streaks have grown, their skills have improved and the clamor for the pair to fight has increased. Now, with their world title collision in Brooklyn just over a month away, the tensions are starting to bubble to the surface, and what we discovered at the press conference was particularly interesting.
Khabib's rivalry with Conor was all about personality, but when it comes to what really matters to Khabib's legacy – his undefeated record and his status as the best lightweight on the planet – the real rivalry is with Ferguson, whom he clearly sees as the most legitimate threat to his reign.
And if Khabib's angry, more frustrated demeanor on the dais didn't make things clear enough, his actions during the subsequent face-off certainly did. More angry words were exchanged before the Russian kicked Ferguson's old UFC interim title belt off the stage.
It was a moment of anger, a moment of disrespect and a moment that showed something that should excite fight fans ahead of their clash at Barclays Center on April 18 - Ferguson is under Khabib's skin.
Nurmagomedov is riding a 12-fight win streak in the UFC. So is Ferguson. Nurmagomedov has beaten a string of contenders. So has Ferguson. But, unlike Khabib, whose wrestling-based attack has been consistent from day one, Ferguson has beaten his opponents in a variety of ways – submissions, knockouts, doctor stoppages, corner stoppages.
Ferguson also has a habit of busting up his opponents in bloody fashion, something Khabib has never experienced before inside the cage. The champion has never been cut in his career, but you'd have to look back a fair way to find a Ferguson opponent who didn't leave the cage all busted up following a fight with "El Cucuy."
Also on rt.com 'I'd eat you in a street fight': Khabib Nurmagomedov in testy press conference exchange with 'fake Mexican' Tony Ferguson (VIDEO)And at the press conference, Ferguson, for all of his quirkiness and unpredictability, had clearly arrived with two goals in mind. He was there to sell a fight and to get inside the head of his opponent. Based on what we saw on Friday night, I'd say he succeeded on both counts.
Ferguson is a clear and present danger to Khabib's UFC lightweight title, his undefeated record, and his status as the best lightweight fighter on the planet – and Khabib knows it.
Bring on fight week.
By Simon Head