Is Tony Ferguson Angling For a Scrap With Conor McGregor? Instead of Khabib Nurmagomedov

The expectation, and or hope for many fans, is that Tony Ferguson will battle lightweight champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov next. But, could recent comments “El Cucuy” made indicate that he’s looking at locking up a bout with Conor McGregor?

After Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor at UFC 229 last month, there was speculation that the promotion might look at an immediate rematch, on account of how massive the first fight was. But, much of that talk seemed to be generated by the post-fight brawl that occurred (Ferguson, it should be noted, earned a corner stoppage win over Anthony Pettis that same night).

As things calmed down, more-and-more people seemed to come around to the argument that Ferguson must be next for Khabib. After all, the bout between Nurmagomedov and McGregor wasn’t all that close. Even Dana White said that as a fan, he wants to see Ferguson challenge Nurmagomedov next. Ferguson, if you’ve lost track, has won 11 straight fights, and he also won the interim title along the way.

Well, it’s still not clear what’s going to be next for Nurmagomedov or McGregor. But, interestingly enough, recently Ferguson tweeted out this:

I feel I do my best against “Southpaws”. Most of my finishes are against them w/ style points. I feel if I were to fight @TheNotoriousMMA in a cage or boxing match my “Athleticism” & “Conditioning” would be too much for the Irishman & he would easily break in a Few Rounds

Now, sure, Ferguson has targeted McGregor before with verbal jabs. So, one could argue that this is just him doing so to drum up hype for a potential showdown down the road. After all, not long before Ferguson sent out that tweet, he referred to Nurmagomedov as “Khabieber”.

But, the timing of the comments is somewhat curious. Could Ferguson be getting the jump on a possible bout with McGregor? In case, for some reason, Khabib isn’t planning to fight again soon? Would he seriously risk his chance at fighting for the title? If a scrap with McGregor was tabled? If he’s that confident in his abilities to beat McGregor, then probably. That fight would also bring a hefty payday (although, at this juncture, you would think a scrap with Khabib will too).

Barring some sort of injury to Nurmagomedov, it’s hard to imagine Ferguson – McGregor happening anytime soon. But, here’s hoping we get to see that fight at some point. Who knows? Maybe it will take place in 2019?