"That would be a great, interesting fight" - Michael Bisping suggests ideal opponent for Conor McGregor when he makes a return

Michael Bisping has suggested that Conor McGregor could make his much-anticipated return against Tony Ferguson. McGregor and Ferguson had been expected to lock horns in the past, but the fight never materialized.

The Irish superstar won the UFC lightweight belt in 2016 following his sensational performance against Eddie Alvarez. Subsequently, he took a hiatus from MMA and squared off against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing bout. This prompted the UFC to book an interim title fight between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee.

Ferguson came out on top and was set to take on McGregor in a title unification bout. However, the latter was stripped due to inactivity.

During a live Q&A session on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping was asked who he’d like to see Conor McGregor fight next. Bisping responded, saying:

“Maybe ‘El Cucuy.’ I think Tony Ferguson would be a solid matchup, you know. Tony’s had a little bit of a fall from grace recently, shall we say; so has McGregor, let’s be honest. That makes sense. I think that would be a great, interesting fight. It would be a throwback fight. It’d be good for fans. Tony Ferguson’s still a fan favorite.”

Bisping indicated that while Ferguson is on a three-fight losing skid, his losses have aged well. The former interim champion's recent defeats came against elite opposition – namely Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush.

'The Count' added that he believes 'The Notorious' will emerge victorious if a bout between the two UFC stars does get booked. He said:

“So, Ferguson versus McGregor, that’d be an interesting fight. Ferguson gets hit a lot. McGregor’s still a sniper. He’s still a very sharp striker. He’s still very good. So, that’d be a good fight. I’d favor McGregor in that fight to win.”

Watch Michael Bisping discuss a potential Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson matchup in the video below:

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Conor McGregor is eyeing Charles Oliveira for his return

Following Charles Oliveira’s third-round submission win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, Conor McGregor teased a potential bout with the reigning UFC lightweight champion. The enigmatic Irishman, who’s recovering from a leg injury, indicated that he’d like to fight Oliveira for the title when he returns.

‘Do Bronx' appears to be more than willing to fight the former two-division champion. In fact, Oliveira was ready to fight McGregor about a week after fighting in the main event of UFC 269.

The vast majority of MMA fans and experts believe that Conor McGregor’s recent shortcomings have taken him out of the lightweight title picture for the time being.

Nevertheless, considering he’s clearly the biggest draw in the sport, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see him get a title shot against Oliveira upon his return.