5 reasons why Conor McGregor should fight Tony Ferguson next
Despite suffering two devastating losses to Dustin Poirier this year – as well as a severe leg injury in their most recent bout – UFC superstar Conor McGregor doesn’t appear to be done with MMA just yet.
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Conor McGregor has shown that he’s determined to return to the UFC and get back to the top of the mountain, but upon his return, who should he face off with in the octagon?
One potential opponent for Conor McGregor might be Tony Ferguson. The former interim UFC lightweight champion has already clashed with ‘The Notorious’ on social media, and would clearly be down to lock horns with the Irishman.
So should the UFC book this fight? While there are other options for Conor McGregor, a fight with Tony Ferguson would genuinely be a great piece of matchmaking.
Here are five reasons why Conor McGregor should face Tony Ferguson in his next UFC fight.
#5. Conor McGregor already has a rivalry of sorts with Tony Ferguson
While their rivalry is not as storied as Conor McGregor’s feuds with Nate Diaz or Khabib Nurmagomedov, ‘The Notorious’ does have an existing beef with Tony Ferguson, and it’s a beef that goes back quite a few years.
If we’re honest, the dislike between the two is probably stronger from Ferguson’s perspective than it is from McGregor’s, and it’s easy to understand why.
Back in 2017, after ‘The Notorious’ had captured the UFC lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez, Ferguson was widely recognized as the division’s top contender. ‘El Cucuy’ was riding a lengthy nine-fight win streak at the time and looked practically unstoppable.
However, he couldn’t pin Conor McGregor down for a title fight, despite his calls for the Irishman to “defend or vacate”.
In the end, McGregor departed the UFC to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, leaving Ferguson to take on Kevin Lee for the interim UFC lightweight title in late 2017.
However, by the time ‘The Notorious’ returned, Khabib Nurmagomedov had become the division’s champion, meaning a McGregor vs. Ferguson fight was put on the backburner.
Ferguson has never really forgotten this, and as recently as last month, has continued to call Conor McGregor out for a fight.
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It’s an easy and obvious rivalry for the UFC to capitalize on, hence, they should look to book the fight soon.