If Tony Ferguson is unable to land a fight at lightweight soon, he is more than open to changing divisions.
Ferguson was initially expected to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 254 later this month on October 24 with the winner more than likely being next in line for a title shot.
However, negotiations failed on multiple sides with Michael Chandler now serving as the backup for the lightweight title unification clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje.
With talks of Poirier potentially facing Conor McGregor next, it leaves Ferguson without an opponent that makes sense for him especially with his plans of competing again before the year comes to a close.
And so, he is willing to return to his old weight class at 170 pounds in order to remain busy.
“I like to fight, if I don’t, I gotta bump up to 170,” Ferguson told ESPN. “I hear Nick Diaz is looking for competition. You know, battle for California which is cool, no disrespect.”
Ferguson Hasn’t Competed At Welterweight Since 2011
Diaz, of course, recently hinted at making a return to mixed martial arts.
However, even if he was interested in facing Ferguson for his comeback fight, it would only be in 2021. That means Ferguson would have to look at other options at welterweight.
Having competed in The Ultimate Fighter as a welterweight originally, “El Cucuy” believes he is more than capable of finding success there.
“I’m a 170-pounder … UFC told me, ‘well, you’re kinda small.’ Well I have a big frame. All I was eating is like once a day because I was barely making ends meet,” he added. “I got the frame for like a 205 pounder. There’s a lot of discipline that I’ve been adding into this stuff.”
While there are certainly some intriguing matchups for Ferguson at welterweight, hopefully he is able to land a big fight at lightweight sooner rather than later.
