Former interim UFC lightweight champion will compete outside the Octagon for the first time in 14 years this weekend, however, he would return for two high-profile fights.
Departing the Dana White-led promotion at the beginning of this year, Tony Ferguson suffered a record-setting eighth consecutive loss in a submission defeat to Michael Chiesa.
And booking a co-main event clash at Misfits Boxing 22 this weekend, Ferguson will take on TikTok star Salt Papi in his pro boxing debut.
But ahead of his boxing bow, the Oxnard native has played up a potential comeback to the UFC, especially if he can secure two notorious grudge matches in a return.
Tony Ferguson open to UFC return to fight Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov
Once the proud owner of a record-breaking 12-fight unbeaten run at the lightweight limit during his prime, Ferguson had run roughshod over contenders en route to an interim title win in 2017.
However, failing to ever share the Octagon with bitter enemies Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov — despite five bookings against the latter, Ferguson never competed for undisputed gold.
- READ MORE — Tony Ferguson reveals how Conor McGregor cost him TUF coaching opportunity against Khabib Nurmagomedov
And with his UFC run in the rearview mirror, Ferguson admits, however, that if he were granted a fight against either in a potential comeback, he would consider returning.
“I mean, the only fight [in the UFC] I’d wanna be able to do would be either Conor (McGregor), or ‘Khabiber’ (Khabib Nurmagomedov),” Ferguson told Seconds Out. “You know? When he’s done with his world tour.
“We’ve got some things, some unfinished business, but I don’t think that they would ever fight me,” Ferguson explained. “I don’t think that they want that.”
Unlikely to ever share the Octagon with either, Ferguson admitted ahead of his boxing debut how the ship has sailed on a pairing with McGregor in particular.
Tony Ferguson claims Conor McGregor was ‘scared’ to fight him
Seemingly on a collision course back in 2017, Ferguson had just scooped the interim lightweight off the back of a submission win over Kevin Lee.
Furthermore, McGregor was set for a return to the UFC following his lucrative boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.
Failing to ever lock horns, Ferguson revealed he had invaluable intel on the Dubliner’s training methods, so much that he alleges the ex-champion and his camp were “scared” to fight him.
- READ MORE — Tony Ferguson reignites feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov over failed grudge fight: ‘His manager was smart’
““If it does come to fruition [a fight against McGregor], yes, I will turn it up and I will f—— hire everybody that I used to when we were getting back, because I got the full dossier,” Ferguson told Dublin Live.
“I got paperwork on paperwork on how these guys were training, what they were doing and at that time why they were doing it,” Ferguson added. “And it scared the f— out of them. They wanted nothing to do with me.”