If there is one fighter who remains attached to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name, it’s number two-ranked 155-pounder Tony Ferguson. The two have been matched up numerous times in the past, only to fall through for various reasons.
After Khabib extended his undefeated streak to a 28-0 record on Saturday with a submission win over Dustin Poirier, “El Cucuy” was once again brought to the conversation. According to UFC president Dana White, Ferguson is indeed next in line.
“Tony Ferguson is next line (for Khabib) if he accepts the fight,” White told reporters during the UFC 242 post-fight scrum. “We’ll see how this thing plays out, when Khabib will fight again, and if Tony wants to fight.
If Ferguson refuses to step up for whatever reason, White already has a backup plan.
“Tony Ferguson gets the next shot, and obviously, if for whatever reason Tony can’t take the fight or doesn’t want to fight at that time, then we would figure out what’s next,” he said. “But yeah, Conor would make a lot of sense.
“Conor McGregor wants that fight really badly, and I’m sure the fans would want to see it. So we’ll see how this whole thing plays out.”
For his part, McGregor already called for a rematch, which he intends to take place in Moscow, Russia.
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