Tony Ferguson: Making Dollars and Sense

So here’s something you all probably didn’t know: Conor McGregor, boxing megastar, the man who went toe-to-toe with Floyd Mayweather, used to be an MMA fighter.

I know, right? It’s actually where he first made his name in combat sports. Who knew?

What’s even crazier is the story that he might actually be looking to return to the sport, maybe even to defend the UFC Lightweight Championship that is amazingly still nestled on his tatted up waist.

Sure, he won the title almost a year ago and has displayed no intention of wanting to defend it, just like he’s displayed no intention of wanting to defend any other title he’s ever won, including the UFC Featherweight Championship that was stripped from him after the UFC was forced to realize he was never going to defend it, but hey. There’s always a first time for everything, right?

If Conor’s entire M.O. is to find and conquer bigger and bigger challenges, maybe the next big challenge is to prove none of those title wins were flukes and that he’s actually capable of being a defending champion, since it’s always harder to stay champion then become champion.

That is, unless you’re Demetrious Johnson. That man just makes everything look easy. I can only imagine how many hospital wards are currently filled with amateur fighters who attempted the armbar he used to submit Ray Borg at UFC 216.

That’s why you’re not supposed to try this stuff at home. Well, maybe unless the home in question is Greg Jackson or Matt Hume’s…

Anyway, if The Notorious One is actually going to fight in MMA again, which would mean he’s done making money for now, there are seemingly three options available, with one that rises above the other two.

There’s Nate Diaz, Conor’s top Payperview rival, who tapped Conor before dropping a highly watched, highly entertaining rematch. He and Conor would make dollars.

There’s Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Dagestani grappler who is still undefeated after 24 fights, having not lost a fight in the UFC or anywhere else. He and Conor would make sense.

Those are good choices but there’s only one fighter in the UFC who could rival Conor on the mic and in the cage the way Nate does while offering the credibility and legitimacy that hardcore fans have been craving for in Conor’s next fight, and that man is…

…Tony. It’s Tony. Obviously. I mean, I wasn’t going to title this “Tony Ferguson: Making Dollars and Sense” and have the answer be Beneil Dariush (no offense…).

Now, it’s hardly controversial to say that Tony deserves to be Conor’s next opponent. He did, after all, just win the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship by submitting Kevin Lee at UFC 216. Dana White has even said that Conor vs. Tony is the fight to make.

I just feel it needs to be said because when was the last time Dana said something where he wasn’t talking out of his ass? The fact that he said this is the fight to make bothers me if only because the fights that end up getting booked tend to be the ones Dana denies. It’s almost like a Dana White denial is code for “Start placing your bets now.”

Hopefully this is one of those instances of Dana saying he’s going to do something and then actually doing it because, as much as I’d love to see Conor and Nate go at it one more time, I have no desire to see it as a title fight.

Nate hasn’t fought since he lost to Conor at UFC 202. It appears as if Nate has no real desire to fight again unless it’s against Conor, and that may not have as much to do with getting revenge or becoming champion as much as it has to do with getting paid.

That’s the reason McGregor vs. Diaz III wouldn’t happen. I still think there’s a good chance it will (if Conor wants it) but if it doesn’t, it’ll have nothing to do with the integrity of the fight and the sport and everything to do with Nate demanding $20 million to fight Conor (or anyone else).

$20 million? To fight? In the UFC? That’s adorable…

If UFC is willing to book Conor and Nate, they’ll do it because they are absolutely sure it’s the fight the fans want, even though a lot of fans don’t want it, and because they are absolutely sure there’s no other fight they can book which would be as big, despite the fact that Conor could enter the cage opposite an empty beer can and still draw a million buys.

That’s what could work against Nate in securing the fight, since he could do a million buys with Conor, but so could anyone else, including a fighter who’s actually been active and is actually deserving of competing for the title.

Plus, Nate isn’t the only one who can talk. Tony can talk as well. He can use complete sentences and everything! I mean, did you hear how loudly he screamed “MCNUGGETS!” after the 216 win? That’s a man ready to mouth off to pay some bills before he goes to war.

And he is ready to go to war because he’s already been in a few, winning some very tough fights on his way to the Interim Championship. He’s not perfect in his MMA career, like Khabib, but he has finished 7 of his 10 UFC wins and has beaten two former champions.

There’s no one in the lightweight division with a comparable record to Tony except for Khabib, whose main disadvantage is a history of pulling out of fights due to either injuries or complications from cutting weight (or tiramisu from his diet *YAWN*), as well as the dreaded perceived “boring” fighting style, as he has a tendency to grind and wear out opponents, getting his hand raised by decision more times than not.

That doesn’t necessarily make him boring to watch but you know how antsy casual fans get when a fight goes too long without someone suffering a concussion.

With Tony, you get a guy who brings the fight every time out. Plus, he’s primarily a striker so Conor wouldn’t have to worry about being tested on the ground again…unless Tony takes the fight there, since he does have just as many submission wins on his record as he does knockouts. He’s very well rounded and he possesses good cardio, which means, stylistically, he may be Conor’s toughest challenge.

That is what Conor is after, right? A challenge? Because if it’s more money he wants, he should be working on getting another boxing fight. Or better yet, he can quit the sport and make as many movies as he can before Hollywood completely loses interest in him like they did Ronda Rousey.

Factor all of that in with the fact that, if a champion is coming back to defend his title, it better damn be against the interim champion, and there’s no other reasonable option for Conor’s next fight than Tony.

If Conor wants to throw out Grand Theft Auto memes to potential opponents, then the only one who can throw them back is the guy who could (and should) totally go as Niko Bellic for Halloween.

McGregor vs. Ferguson is the fight to make. Let’s just hope UFC actually agrees with that. Otherwise, we’ll probably end up getting Conor vs. Paulie Malinaggi, and that fight won’t happen until next summer, after Conor competes in the main event of Wrestlemania.

I know the rumors are now saying a deal with WWE isn’t happening. Yeah, sure it isn’t. And CM Punk is totally going to fight in the UFC again. Sure…believe whatever you want…

Evan Zivin has been writing for 411 MMA since May of 2013. Evan loves the sport, and likes to takes a lighthearted look at the world of MMA in his writing…usually.