UFC: Conor McGregor can beat Tony Ferguson but has no chance vs Khabib, says Eddie Alvarez
- Former UFC lightweight champion Alvarez says McGregor doesn’t have the experience to overcome Khabib if they rematch
- ‘The Underground King’ thinks the Irishman would finish Ferguson if they fight
Former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez believes Conor McGregor would beat Tony Ferguson should they share the Octagon in future – but doesn’t see things go any differently if the Irishman rematches Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Ferguson (25-3) was set to fight for the UFC lightweight title against champion Nurmagomedov at UFC 249 last weekend, but the bout was scrapped amid logistical chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic. With Khabib (28-0) stranded in Russia, the 36-year-old Ferguson has agreed to a short-notice fight against contender Justin Gaethje (21-2) at the rescheduled event on May 9.
Asked for how McGregor matches up against Ferguson and Gaethje, former UFC lightweight champion Alvarez (29-6, one no contest), who lost the belt to “The Notorious” via second-round TKO in 2016, predicted the Irishman would defeat both.
“I think Conor would put Tony away. I would like to see him fight Gaethje, but I’m of the belief he beats [him]. But I would still like to see the fight,” Alvarez told TheScoreMMA. “I don’t know, probably boxing, I would like to watch them box.”
McGregor, who lost to Khabib via fourth-round submission in 2018, has campaigned for a rematch with the champion. However, Alvarez does not think McGregor would pose a problem for the Russian’s Sambo-based wrestling and ground-and-pound style.