Conor McGregor has been told to pursue a "winnable" fight against Tony Ferguson on his UFC return.
The Irish star is back in training and is anticipating making a comeback in the coming months after resuming using his previously broken leg. Several fighters have already called out McGregor including Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, despite the Irishman signalling a potential switch to 170lbs after showing off a new ripped physique.
UFC legend Michael Bisping believes that a fight between the pair makes the most sense with both fighters having struggled for form in previous outings. “For McGregor, with respect, he needs a winnable fight," Bisping said on his YouTube channel when discussing a potential bout. "And with respect to Tony Ferguson, I think that is a good fight. Tony gets hit. And I’ve said this a lot, so I don’t wanna repeat myself. Tony absorbs damage.
"And that’s kind of why I think maybe that style is catching him up. But it makes sense for both of them. They’re both kind of struggling lately. They’re both big names in the [UFC lightweight] division. They’re both old-school names. And they’re both fan-friendly. They’re both fighters that people like to tune in and watch. So, makes a lot of sense if you ask me – Tony Ferguson ‘El Cucuy’ taking on ‘The Notorious.’”
McGregor and Ferguson have both traded verbal barbs on multiple occasions including after Ferguson's brutal defeat to Chandler earlier this year. The Irishman compared the UFC star to a chicken nugget on social media, before the American promptly responded, telling Submission Radio : "There are lot of things he does, it just has to say something about his character.
"He is mentally weak. It's just to taunt people, it's mentally weak. It's like when you use a GameGenie and you're able to win fast, you don't really have fun anymore. He's trying to enjoy everybody's else stuff." The pair have been linked with a bout at 155lb for several years ever since they both became division champion.
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However it looks increasingly unlikely with McGregor planning instead to launch an assault on becoming three-weight champion by moving up to 170lb. This would involve dethroning dominant champion Kamaru Usman who McGregor has called out since stepping up his recovery.
Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo also believes a shot at Ferguson would be best suited for McGregor's pending comeback. “I like the Tony Ferguson fight for him, I think that fight is winnable for Conor,” Cejudo said on a recent episode of The Triple C and Schmo podcast. “He cannot be taking these high-level competitions.
"He’s going to get hurt. I think, go up to Tony and then of course he’s a cash cow. Give him whoever he wants at 150 or 170. I think he needs to get his feet wet. At least f*****g win man, win a damn fight.”
