Tony Ferguson Says Conor McGregor’s Acting Like an “Ex-Girlfriend”

Conor McGregor recently included Tony Ferguson in a list of potential opponents for his long awaited, return to the cage. Well, since then, Ferguson has delivered a somewhat fiery response to McGregor when asked about the superstar’s comments.

McGregor’s list of potential opponents

Recently McGregor did an extensive interview with ESPN, following the release of a video that captured him sucker punching an elderly man. After McGregor apologized for his behavior, he was of course, asked about when and who he wants to fight next. McGregor made it clear he’s hoping to lock-up a bout with the winner of this Saturday’s fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Dustin Poirier. While McGregor didn’t insult Ferguson or emphatically call him out, he did also acknowledge an interest in facing “El Cucuy”.

Ferguson’s plans

Since Ferguson has won 12 straight fights, and because he won the interim belt and never actually lost it in a fight, there have been widespread calls for him to challenge the winner of Nurmagomedov – Poirier. In fact, both of Khabib and Dustin have said Ferguson deserves the next crack at the title.

While speaking to ESPN recently, Ferguson made it clear that he intends to wait for a crack at the 155 crown (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“I have to fight for the title shot,” Ferguson said. “That’s where I’m going. The winner of this next fight is going to come up.”

And what about McGregor’s recent inclusion of Ferguson in his list of potential opponents? When Ferguson was asked about that, the dynamic fighter said this:

“He’s like one of those ex-girlfriends,” Ferguson said. “I stopped worrying about that. Now he’s mentioning my name? Get the (expletive) out of here.

“If push comes to shove, I see him fighting the loser of this next fight this weekend. If you want to keep up with the rankings, we have to do it the right way. Maybe I’ll give him a shot (if he beats loser of UFC 242).”

There you have it. If you’re surprised that Ferguson has outright shot down the possibility of fighting McGregor next you shouldn’t be. Sure, fighting McGregor would deliver a big payday. But, so will winning the UFC’s lightweight crown and then possibly defending it a few times. It’s important to note that if Ferguson fought McGregor now, it would not be a title fight, and therefore, it likely wouldn’t headline a pay-per-view.

Further, from a meritocratic perspective, Ferguson should be fighting for the belt next. He’s done everything and then some to lock up a title shot.