Tony Ferguson does NOT believe Khabib Nurmagomedov is retiring for good -- claiming the Dagestani will return to the octagon one day ... and Tony can't wait.
"You’re gonna miss it like [Conor McGregor]," Ferguson said on Submission Radio ... "He’s going to be back. So, I’ll be f*cking ready."
Khabib announced his retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 -- saying he can't bring himself to fight again after the death of his father.
But Tony -- who was booked to fight Khabib on multiple occasions only to have the fights fall apart due to various issues -- claims he saw Khabib's retirement announcement coming from a mile away.