UFC 242: No Conor McGregor rematch, it's time for Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson

Steven Muehlhausen

UFC 242: No Conor McGregor rematch, it's time for Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson image

The headline is pretty simple, right? Why explain it any further?

On Saturday, in an unnamed newly constructed arena just for UFC 242 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Khabib Nurmagomedov turned in another spectacular performance, defeating Dustin Poirier by third-round submission to become the undisputed lightweight champion. 

When the fight concluded, there was one bout and one bout only that makes sense for the dominant lightweight champion and the guy who should be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

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His name is not Conor McGregor, but Tony Ferguson. 

Despite McGregor's claims in an interview with ESPN last month, where he stated he would be willing to take other fights not named a rematch with Nurmagomedov, the Irishman's actions after UFC 242 proved otherwise when he challenged his fiercest rival to battle one more time in the champion's home country.

 

At first glance, you cringe at the sight of the tweet, but after cooling down, the thought of McGregor waltzing into another title shot mainly after losing by fourth-round submission at UFC 229 is ludicrous. 

But then UFC President Dana White fueled the fire when he brought the possibility of McGregor facing Nurmagomedov in the next fight for both guys.

"Tony Ferguson is next in line for the (Nurmagomedov) fight if he accepts the fight,” White said at the UFC 242 post-fight press conference. “We’ll see how this thing plays out when Khabib will fight again and if Tony wants the fight.

“Tony Ferguson gets the next shot and obviously if for whatever reason Tony can’t take the fight or doesn’t want the fight at that time, then we would figure out what was next. But Conor would make a lot of sense."

Typically, the best compete against the best. But more than often not, White doesn't operate in the same mindset.

He booked Georges St-Pierre vs. Michael Bisping for the middleweight title even though "GSP" never fought at 185 pounds and hadn't stepped in the octagon in over three years. Then, he made Valentina Shevchenko against Joanna Jedrzejczyk even though Jedrzejczyk had lost two of her last three. Lastly, in the most bizarre of them all, White would have made Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title despite the WWE star having only one MMA fight since 2011. But Lesnar opted for a lucrative extension to remain with WWE, instead.

Financially, a McGregor-Nurmagomedov rematch is the fight to make. UFC 229 shattered the company's pay-per-view record with 2.4 million buys and the melee in the aftermath of the battle leaves it wide open. 

There are reasons that make Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson just as appealing, though, and it's the most marketable fight out there to make outside of anything involving McGregor.

Start with the fact that they were supposed to fight four times. Unfortunately, each attempt fell apart due to weight-cutting issues or injuries to both guys. You can't guarantee the same thing won't happen if the bout comes to fruition, but you can always put them in a bubble to ensure their safety, so they get to the octagon. 

Then you have the most obvious factor of them all. Nurmagomedov is 28-0 and has been virtually unbeatable. He takes you out of your element as soon the first movement is made and then proceeds to take your soul, making you suffer for even daring to fight him. 

Look at UFC 242. He had Poirier defeated between rounds two and three, when "The Eagle" mauled, battered and gave him no room to breathe. 

Poirier told his corner, "I can't get him the f— off of me."

Ferguson is 25-3. He's won 12 in a row with nine of those victories coming by stoppage. "El Cucuy" isn't facing second-rate guys. Like Nurmagomedov, he's going in the octagon and laying beatings on contenders like Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and Kevin Lee, but also world champions like Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos and Josh Thomson.

Nurmagomedov and Ferguson take gleeful pride in taking the mind, body, and souls of their foes and ensuring they are never the same. Thinking about the mere thought of that should send goosebumps down your spine because each guy is willing to do whatever it takes to be No. 1. Nurmagomedov fought bears as a little boy in Dagestan, while Ferguson packs weights to his back and runs up the mountains in Big Bear, Calif.

If both guys need some time to prepare, White needs to let them take as much time as they need. Why rush what will undoubtedly be an all-time classic and one that can garner the UFC a ton of money if they market it correctly? It's an easy sell and one that would be extremely hard to drop the ball on.

Let's hope the UFC does what's best for their fans and not its bank account because it's the fans who deserve to see the best product each time out.

Steven Muehlhausen

Steven Muehlhausen Photo

Steven Muehlhausen is a contributing writer for DAZN News. He writes features and news stories, and provides analysis relating to the world of boxing. Over the past five years, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Bill Goldberg.