The TakedownUFC: Tony Ferguson vs Khabib fight matters most in MMA – Conor McGregor must take a back seat
- Lightweight title fight still more than four months away but anticipation is far higher than for McGregor’s comeback
- The two men are in their prime and are the undisputed top of their division – something’s got to give in Brooklyn
It’s not often Conor McGregor isn’t the talk of the MMA world when he’s fighting. But “The Notorious” is playing a distinct second fiddle right now.
The UFC confirmed two weeks ago that McGregor will be fighting Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at welterweight for his big comeback on January 18. But it was another fight announcement this week that got fans more excited.
Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson finally signed on the dotted line to fight each other in Brooklyn on April 18. It might be more than four months away, but the anticipation seems far higher than for the return of the Mac.
“I believe the fans understand this is a super fight,” Ferguson told Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “El Cucuy” said he was “not surprised” an ESPN poll asking fans which fight they were looking forward to most showed a more than 70-30 split in favour of his rather than McGregor’s.
“You got two gamer opponents that can go all the way up to heavyweight and handle the best out of them,” Ferguson said.