There are some who hate or love the upcoming boxing match between UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in August. Tony Ferguson is one who struggles to hate the fight and is looking forward to it. There’s a catch behind his desire to see the fight, and that is him wanting McGregor to come back to the octagon to defend his UFC lightweight title.
Ferguson is likely the #1 contender for the title and will fight McGregor if he returns to the world famous octagon. According to Ferguson, it’s time for the division to move on.
“I have to say congratulations (to McGregor); that’s an (expletive) of money for them,” Ferguson told MMAjunkie. “That’s a lot of (expletive) lettuce, but don’t forget about the UFC cage, because you’re holding onto my belt. I’m over here. Let’s fight for an interim belt while Conor is doing his other thing. Let’s get something going. The interim title is vacant. That (expletive) needs to be in my hands. (I’m on a) nine fight winning streak, and 10 sounds better, so let’s get it moving.”
When the Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight fell through earlier this year, the promotion attempted to book Ferguson against Nate Diaz at UFC 213 in July. However, the UFC could not come to terms with Diaz, which has left Ferguson in limbo.
Ferguson is not necessarily hoping that Diaz will change his mind about the bout and is not open to wait for a fight with Nurmagomedov. He just wants to fight for the title.
“I want the interim title fight,” Ferguson said. “They offered it to Nate Diaz – I’m not sure what his problem is. I’m not sure if he’s ever going to fight again. I really don’t think he will, or Nick (Diaz), because I think they’re just so busy doing their things. They just want to keep their legacies secure, and they don’t want to add another loss to their records. They’ve got plenty of them. At least Nate does. I’m 23-3, nine (wins) in a row, and my skills are getting way, way better. … There needs to be a real champ in this division, and I’m that guy.”
Ferguson sees the holes in McGregor’s boxing game and believes that he needs to make rapid improvements before he steps into the ring with Mayweather on August 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada at T-Mobile Arena.
“I have to say that Conor’s boxing is not up to par,” Ferguson said. “It is not up to par to how Mayweather’s boxing is going to be. … I’ve got to give him the benefit of the doubt: Stay hungry, stay on that (expletive), try to knock his ass out. Mayweather, the same thing – Conor is going to try to knock you out, dude, so both of you boys are going to have your hands full. Better train your asses off. We want to see a good fight. If I’m going to spend my money on it, I want to see a good fight.”
“Conor is not going to lose anything off it because he’s taking a chance in another sport, and I have to give homeboy credit, because that’s cool,” Ferguson said. “I was always a multi-sport athlete when I was younger, and this right here is dope. I would love to box. I want to go into GLORY and I want to kickbox. I don’t like sitting on the sidelines. I like to stay active. I have to say that with Conor, you have to step up your boxing skills. You’re messing with a lion in there. MMA is a completely different sport. You are a striker, son, not a boxer. This is boxing. You’re not going to be able to go in there and strike. It’s a different sport and a different animal.”
This boxing match is expected to give McGregor a $100 million payday if the fight lives up to potential metrics. Obviously, if it does then McGregor’s financial security would presumably be secured for life and that has raised questions regarding his future in MMA.
Although there are some who have their doubts regarding McGregor’s return, Ferguson is not one of them as he said that he’s not worried about McGregor leaving the sport permanently.
The reason for that belief is that McGregor’s competitive desire can’t be fulfilled by money. He is confident we will eventually see McGregor inside the octagon.
“Win or lose, I think Conor is an athlete; I think he’s going to have it in his head that he’s not going to have to sit on the sidelines,” Ferguson said. “I see it in Conor’s face, I see it in his mannerisms that he’s hungry, that’s he’s always going to want to dig to try and get the bigger, better picture. He’s made that money, so maybe he’s not trying to look after the money part. He wants to secure that legacy and he wants to go down in the books. I say if you want to go down in the books after your boxing match, come over to MMA and test it one more time. You have to test it one or two more times against top-notch competitors. People that make the weight, that show up. … Handle your business, come back to the UFC. We’re all going to be sitting here waiting, watching, and make that money, do your thing and don’t be scared. Come back and play that game a little bit more. I would hate to see that talent go to (expletive). You’ve got a lot of talent, you’ve got a lot of energy, and come back and use it in the 155-pound division. Let’s fight over that belt, baby. Let’s go.”
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