Tony Ferguson Should Be the Only One Considered for Khabib's Next Opponent
While no specific fight in the UFC can ever really be considered all that inevitable, at least some fights just seem destined to happen. Such is the case of the desperately desired throwdown between undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and No. 1 contender Tony Ferguson, a fight that was supposed to happen four times already but was scrapped each previous try.
To put it bluntly, Ferguson is the only fighter who should be considered for Khabib's next opponent right now, and everybody seems to know it. So why don't the powers that be just go ahead and announce it already?
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Even UFC President Dana White said Ferguson deserved the next crack at the to-this-point-uncrackable Khabib after the Russian stopped Dustin Poirier earlier this month in a lightweight unification fight at UFC 242.
"Tony Ferguson is next in line if he accepts the fight," White told reporters at the post-fight press conference. "We'll see how this thing plays out...when Khabib will fight again and if Tony wants the fight."
To his credit, Ferguson took to social media recently to let White and the rest of the world know he absolutely wants the opportunity to dethrone one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history. That could happen as soon as UFC 245, which is set to take place on Dec. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
There's no denying the two best fighters in the 155-pound division right now are Khabib and Ferguson. Shouldn't that be enough?
Sure, Justin Gaethje's first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone last Saturday night in Vancouver was impressive, but Gaethje doesn't nearly have the same kinds of title challenge-worthy credentials Ferguson does.
Ferguson, 35, from Oxnard, California, is riding a 12-fight win streak. He's undefeated since 2013, and over that same period, he's defeated former champions Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis, and top-ranked contenders Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and others.
Gaethje looked great in stopping Cerrone, but let's not forget he was beaten by Poirier in April 2018 and listed below "The Diamond" in the UFC's official lightweight rankings.
Khabib is the division's champion. Ferguson is the No. 1 contender. Let's get this thing on.
While it's fun to wonder how Gaethje's hyper-aggressive striking might do against a mauler like Khabib, the truth is Ferguson's long-limbed craziness probably presents a compelling stylistic matchup to the champion's avalanche-like method of conquest, and it comes with the added benefit of having proved itself over a longer period time.
One might reasonably suggest Ferguson's extreme length, his combination of effective pressure tactics and unorthodox striking flow might present Khabib with the toughest matchup anyone could really dream up for the champ.
After all, in addition to Ferguson's ability to mix punches and kicks all over the place from all sorts of angles, he's also a jiu-jitsu black belt with a penchant toward damaging opponents from the bottom position.
And the best part about Ferguson is that he appears to be peaking right now. Over his last two fights, he has scored violent wins over two proven contenders, Cerrone and Pettis, forcing both into stoppage losses in between rounds.
All that put together isn't something Khabib has seen before. Sure, the Russian has made mincemeat out of just about every single opponent he's faced since entering the UFC, but history is littered with examples of assumed underdogs just having the right combination of assets to pull huge upsets over people most considered at the time unbeatable.
Nobody is unbeatable, especially in a fighting sport like MMA where one wrong move can lead to defeat.
As great as Khabib has been, the beauty of what he does is defined by its simplicity. His goal is simple. He shoots for double leg takedowns, and he potshots from long distance with heavy strikes until he can.
But what if he can't nab that takedown? Could a fighter like Ferguson, with such an active guard and so natural a talent for getting the better of things during scrambles, be the living embodiment of kryptonite to the UFC's lightweight Superman?
Let's face it, UFC 245 is already headed toward being a blockbuster event. Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski is reportedly on tap, per MMAFighting.com's Damon Martin for that date, and Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie was also reportedly booked per ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto.
Could there be any more exciting topper to that card than giving Ferguson his long-awaited chance to usurp Khabib?
And while Khabib might vaingloriously envision participating in a superfight against retired all-time great Georges St-Pierre, even Khabib's dream opponent knows which fighter deserves the next shot at the champ.
"One hundred percent Tony Ferguson," St-Pierre told Helen Yee of Las Vegas Sports Network. "And it's going to be a good fight. I'm a big fan. I don't know [who'll win]. It all depends who's going to fight their fight."
Yes, Ferguson deserves the fight. You know, I know it. White knows it. GSP knows it. Heck, I bet even somewhere down deep even Conor McGregor knows it, too.
It's the only fight that matters right now in the lightweight division, and there's no better way to end the year.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
