Ferguson is currently preparing to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 209 next month to decide who will take pole position for a pop at McGregor’s 155-pound strap.
‘El Cucuy’ has pulled no punches whenever the champion has been brought up in the past. The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will host the showdown between the #1 and #2 ranked lightweights on the planet, on a card which also boasts the anticipated welterweight title rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
Although an interim lightweight title will be up for grabs for Ferguson or Nurmagomedov on the night, both men would certainly prefer to hoist the genuine article over their shoulder.
Despite the hype and pre-fight build up between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, there has also been room to take aim at the man who destroyed Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 last year to become the first fighter to hold two belts consecutively in the promotion.
Ferguson is currently streaking on a record of nine wins in nine fights in the UFC, with the Russian not far behind at eight from eight. With a division as stacked as that of the 155-pound lot, it is fair to say that these two challengers truly exemplify the creme-de-la-creme of MMA fighters. Respect should naturally come easy, even to a defending champion with both hot on his heels. Not if you are Conor McGregor, however…
‘The Notorious’ does things his own way. This attitude has seen him rise through a severely competitive featherweight division, which culminated in a spectacular knockout of the 145-pound champion and PPV King Jose Aldo. All Pay-per-view records have been smashed, trash talk has hit its peak and the Irishman was (temporarily) a two-weight world champion. Not bad for three years. Can he be replaced by either man? If McGregor is to be believed, not a chance (courtesy of McGregors PPV interview with Ariel Helwani last month):
“The two guys who are fighting for that interim belt are bums,” said the reigning 155-pound king. “I always look at the game, the fight game in the UFC, and sometimes I wonder to myself why it’s never broken through to that next level, why no one before me has ever gotten to that next level. Because they’re all dogsh*t.”
“They’re sloppy, messy, chinny. It’s not pretty to look at, and it’s the same with these two clowns. Two bums fighting for an interim belt. They should be very happy that I’m chilling now, taking a break, and they have this little chance to think that they’re up there. But in reality, they’re nowhere close. They both would be knocked out stiff. Both chinny, both wild, too sloppy.”
In a post uploaded from Mcgregor’s Twitter account, the Dubliner referred to himself as “the ghost”. Ferguson had his say:
Paper Champ Who Thought U Could Walk Away From MMA #MoneyMadeYouSoftMcnuggets I Bet You Fade Like A Ghost. #Buster #ElCucuy pic.twitter.com/v0kG8ukS15
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) February 6, 2017
Strong words…
