5 reasons why Conor McGregor should fight Tony Ferguson next

#2. A fight between Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson could be awesome to watch

Tony Ferguson has developed a reputation as one of the UFC's most exciting fighters

Perhaps the biggest reason to book a fight between Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson right now would be that it’d probably produce absolute fireworks inside the octagon.

Over the past decade, there have been just a handful of fighters whose style is as exciting as that of Ferguson, across all divisions.

Aggressive to a fault, ‘El Cucuy’ always comes to push the pace, and his brand of combination striking and dangerous submissions have allowed him to finish a number of high-level opponents.

Fighters as great as Anthony Pettis, Edson Barboza and Rafael Dos Anjos all found themselves wilting under the pressure Ferguson put on them.

However, Conor McGregor is equally as exciting to watch, with his style inside the octagon being one of the reasons why he rose to superstardom so quickly.

‘The Notorious’ always talked a good game, but had he been unable to back it up with performances like his knockouts of Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez, it’s unlikely that he’d have reached the levels he has done.

A fight between Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson would likely see both men look to strike. They’d probably come out with an idea of making the other man back down and eventually break – and so UFC fans would probably expect some serious violence ensuing.

Who would win? It’s tricky to say, but with both men having their backs to the wall after a string of losses, it’d definitely be a fascinating – and potentially awesome – fight to watch.

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#1. Tony Ferguson looks like a potentially beatable opponent for Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor may now view Tony Ferguson as a beatable opponent

The truth is that even if the UFC wanted to book a fight between Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson, due to McGregor’s negotiating power they may not be able to do so unless ‘The Notorious’ were up for it.

We know that Ferguson would fight McGregor in a heartbeat, but would the Irishman want to face ‘El Cucuy’?

If this were eighteen months ago, the likely answer would’ve been no. In early 2020, Tony Ferguson was seen as second only to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC’s lightweight division.

He was riding a 12-fight win streak and looked like the terminator, an unstoppable killing machine in his wins against the likes of Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone.

Earlier in his career, Conor McGregor backed down from no man, but it’s definitely fair to say that he’s more selective with his opponents these days, and may not have wanted to fight Ferguson in his prime.

However, today’s ‘El Cucuy’ is not the same man who wreaked havoc over the UFC’s lightweight division. After his loss to Justin Gaethje – a fight that appeared to have damaged him irreparably – he’s since lost to Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. In both losses, he looked like a shadow of his former self.

The truth is that right now might be the best time to fight Tony Ferguson. He’s now 37 years old, and after a career filled with crazy wars, may be reaching the end of his time in the UFC.

A win over him may still be enough to elevate someone like Conor McGregor back up the ladder – but fighting him at this stage is nowhere near as dangerous as it would’ve been eighteen months ago.

That means that there’s a much bigger chance that it’s an attractive fight for ‘The Notorious’ – making it much easier for the UFC to book.