McGregor vs. Ferguson At UFC 249?
Could Conor McGregor step in on short notice and face Tony Ferguson? That’s what John Kavanagh appears to be hinting at.
Ferguson was set to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at UFC 249 on April 18. However, with Nurmagomedov stuck in Russia due to a cross-border travel ban that was enforced this week, that fight is all but canceled.
The UFC has since reportedly offered Justin Gaethje as a replacement opponent for Ferguson. As of now, there is no update on whether either fighter has accepted the bout.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani recently asked his followers on Tuesday what they would do if they were Ferguson — wait for the Nurmagomedov fight or face Gaethje at UFC 249?
McGregor’s coach Kavanagh replied soon after stating there could be a third option as well.
maybe there's a third option…
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) March 31, 2020
Of course, this is highly unlikely.
While McGregor has claimed he will be waiting in case the lightweight title fight falls apart, it seemed to be more out of hope that it would be Ferguson who pulled out. The UFC has also made it a point not to have the Irishman fight on short notice and that would appear to be more so the case when there’s no fans involved.
Add in the fact that he’s currently in Ireland where he’s been a staunch supporter of staying indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it doesn’t seem to be a possibility.
But then again, if it is a possibility, nobody would be complaining.
