Tony Ferguson takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov on April 7 as the main event for UFC 223. The winner will be crowned undisputed lightweight champion as Conor McGregor has not defended the belt ever since he captured it in November 2016.
If he returns at all, McGregor could face the winner of Ferguson and Nurmagomedov. It will also guarantee whoever is standing across the Octagon from the Irishman will benefit from a huge pay day.
While the bout with McGregor would substantially grow that fighter’s bank account, Ferguson believes that there’s another money fight on the horizon against one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time in former UFC welterweight king Georges St. Pierre.
Ferguson was in a very confident mood at the UFC media lunch for UFC 223 and talked about the potential fight (quotes courtesy of MMA Fighting).
“I mean, GSP, literally if he wants a money fight, he’s an athlete,” Ferguson said Thursday. “We all have to pay our bills. We all have to pay our taxes. Straight up.”
Ferguson entered the UFC by winning “The Ultimate Fighter 13” television show, which was contested at 170 pounds and the weight he competed at during the early years of his career.
Fighting at 170 pounds means that “GSP” was on Ferguson’s long-term radar as he was making his way up the weight class. Although he now competes at 155, he believes if the Canadian is looking for an opponent, he’d be more than happy to oblige.
“That’s what I signed up for in the beginning,” Ferguson said. “I was 170 pounds; 155 was forced on me. I mean, that forced the move, ultimate reality, then that’s not the end result; 170 pounds, where I had 12 fights.”
Ferguson isn’t letting this get to his head and believes fighters who just chase money fights are in some way having a negative effect on actually holding the UFC belt.
“When you’re just going for money fights, when this thing (the UFC title) starts losing luster … it becomes tarnished,” Ferguson said.