Tony Ferguson believes Conor McGregor took the easy way out by opting to face Michael Chandler in his UFC return.
McGregor, 34, looks to bag his first UFC win in over three years when he faces Chandler after coaching against him on The Ultimate Fighter later this year. Filming for the UFC's reality TV show will begin later this month and the series airs from May to August, with McGregor and Chandler expected to meet in the octagon shortly after that.
Before his comeback fight was announced, the Irishman revealed he was offered a coaching role on The Ultimate Fighter but it was unclear who the opposing coach would be. Ferguson claimed the UFC reached out to him about coaching against McGregor, but the promotion decided to go with Chandler.
'El Cucuy' has now hit out at McGregor for taking the "easy road" by facing Chandler as he tweeted: “Just set this right here, when consistency is key reach for sweet stuff. Last few weeks been busy for ol’mcnacker [McGregor], a social media snafu to a bike incident *eesh* at least he’s ok maybe it’s a good idea he takes the easy road - champ."
Ferguson was once on a 12-fight winning streak in the UFC during the time that McGregor reigned as lightweight champion for the promotion, but a highly-anticipated fight between the pair never materialised. Fans were fearful that McGregor would have "killed' Ferguson if they were matched up for the Irishman's UFC comeback, given 'El Cucuy' has lost his last five fights.
Over two years would have passed since McGregor's last fight by the time he makes his UFC return against Chandler. Fans think McGregor hasn't been concentrated on his UFC career for the past year after posting dozens of pictures and videos of him partying, but the Irishman insists that coaching on The Ultimate Fighter will give him "full immersion" for his return.
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Despite his comeback fight being announced, McGregor is still not enrolled in the UFC's mandatory anti-doping programme. Fighters are required to complete six months of drug-testing before being eligible to fight, meaning McGregor's fight against Chandler is unlikely to take place until after August.
Chandler confirmed he will be moving up a weight class to fight McGregor at 170lb, telling Bussin' with the Boys: "I'm sitting here at around 190lb right now, I'd love to fight at 170lb. It's fantastic and hopefully it is in Las Vegas. Conor McGregor famously only really fights in Las Vegas, and I want to experience a Vegas fight week. It will be one hundred times different than any other fight."
