Ben Askren breaks down keys to victory in Khabib vs. Ferguson matchup at UFC 249

Ben Askren knows a thing or two about being a strong grappler.

One of the most anticipated matchups in UFC history between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson is scheduled to take place April 18 in the UFC 249 headliner.

No one has been able to stop Nurmagomedov, who has run through all opposition, mostly by pinning opponents to the mat and punishing them with relative ease.

But in Ferguson, Nurmagomedov faces someone with serious threat off of his back, whether it be his slick jiu-jitsu game, or sharp elbows from bottom.

Speaking to Submission Radio, former Olympic wrestler Askren gave his take on the matchup and why Ferguson might have what it takes to stop Nurmagomedov.

“Khabib’s obviously going to get takedowns, and he’s been so dominant with ground-and-pound,” Askren said. “But at the same time, Tony is so active off his back and he’s good with the elbows and he’s got a lot of tricky stuff. I think it’s going to be totally fascinating. I’m excited to see what happens.

“Tony’s a great fit, because he’s not going to stay put on bottom. Tony can take a lot of damage, which, you know – Khabib will dish it out. Tony doesn’t get tired. And then Tony’s a high-volume striker. He’s not a power puncher, which I don’t think is the right mix to beat Khabib because I think you have to kind of fight him hard, stuff a few takedowns and volume strike him. And I think that’s how you’re going to beat him – and that’s what Tony does. So there’s a possibility.”

But with uncertainty surrounding the event due to the coronavirus outbreak, Askren urged the UFC to proceed with the fight no matter what, even if it means sacrificing the rest of the card.

“The one thing I said last night was, let’s not get greedy, Dana – let’s make this really simple,” Askren said. “All we need is Tony and Khabib. We don’t need a (expletive) undercard. So in America they’re doing 10 people maximum – you can’t have more than 10 people in a group. So you’ve got Tony, Khabib, three judges. But, you could also have the judges be remote. So you don’t actually have to have them there.

“Your referee, you have Dana, you have Bruce Buffer and you have Joe Rogan, maybe. Maybe we take the judges out and make the judges remote at a remote location and we give (the fighters) each two coaches or something, or one coach. I think there’s a way to do it to keep it under 10 people and broadcast it.”