Tony Ferguson takes a big shot at Conor McGregor

Speaking to Submission Radio, former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson opened up on a myriad of topics.

Ferguson chimed in with his two cents on Conor McGregor potentially receiving the next shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship. Addressing the aforesaid possibility, Tony Ferguson asserted that McGregor doesn’t even belong amongst the Lightweight division’s top five fighters.

Additionally, Ferguson opined that McGregor first needs to fight someone who’s ranked among the top 15 of the UFC Lightweight division. He added that McGregor mustn’t be granted the next shot at the 155-pound belt.

The MMA world has lately been rife with speculation that former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor could face Dustin Poirier in January of next year.

Conor McGregor and Poirier had publicly confirmed their intentions to fight one another on January 23rd, 2021. McGregor and his team had suggested that the fight would be contested in the Welterweight division, not at Lightweight.

Nevertheless, with reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announcing his retirement from active MMA competition, the aforementioned McGregor vs. Poirier bout could now be contested at Lightweight, with the vacant UFC Lightweight belt at stake.

Addressing the speculation regarding McGregor potentially fighting for the UFC Lightweight Championship next, Tony Ferguson stated:

“He (Conor McGregor) just deserves a chance to fight. F**k him fighting for the (UFC Lightweight) title. He needs to fight. He needs to fight somebody like, I don’t know, top 15.

“Get his a** back on there, man. You don’t belong in the top 5! Get the f*** out of here. F*** you, pay me, dude. Nothing personal, but you’re still a b***h.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

Tony Ferguson could be affected by Conor McGregor’s return to Lightweight

In simple terms, Tony Ferguson’s argument against Conor McGregor being granted an immediate title shot is based on the fact that the latter hasn’t won a fight in the UFC Lightweight division in about four years.

Conor McGregor’s last victory in the Lightweight division came back in November 2016. He defeated Eddie Alvarez via second-round TKO and won the UFC Lightweight Championship, while simultaneously holding the UFC Featherweight belt.

McGregor proceeded to make his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017, losing via TKO in round 10.

The Notorious One then faced Khabib Nurmagomedov in a UFC Lightweight Championship matchup in October 2018 and was defeated via a fourth-round submission.

Conor McGregor’s most recent fight was a 40-second TKO victory in an MMA bout against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. The fight took place in the Welterweight division in January.

Considering that, the vast majority of MMA fans and experts presently concur with Tony Ferguson’s opinion that McGregor ought to work his way to a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship, rather than being granted one right away.

What are your views on Tony Ferguson’s statements with regard to Conor McGregor? Sound off in the comments.