May 7, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Tony Ferguson during UFC 274 at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tony Ferguson would fight Conor McGregor and another UFC legend but it’s never happening

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Zain Bando | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 6:22 PM ET

Former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson isn't keen on retiring just yet. This weekend, he'll trade the Octagon for the ring to box Salt Papi in his squared-circle debut. However, should he decide to return to MMA, he has two former champions in mind.

One, of course, being his ex-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, while the other is former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor, who has been inactive from MMA since July 2021 while nursing injuries, living a lavish lifestyle, and dealing with a fair share of legal concerns along the way.

During an interview with "Seconds Out," Ferguson explained why those fights intrigue him, despite not having earned an MMA win since June 2019.

Tony Ferguson Reignites Conor McGregor Beef

“I mean, the only fight [in the UFC] I’d wanna be able to do would be either Conor (McGregor), or ‘Khabiber’ (Khabib Nurmagomedov),” Ferguson said. "You know? When he’s done with his world tour."

Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been linked throughout UFC lightweight history since the mid-2010s, as their final attempted booking to fight one another was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It was the closest Ferguson would come to actually fighting Nurmagomedov to determine a rightful champion. Nurmagomedov wound up beating Justin Gaethje in Oct. 2020 after Gaethje became the interim lightweight champion against Ferguson just five months earlier.

Nurmagomedov would eventually retire shortly following the Gaethje win, concluding his MMA career at 29-0. Meanwhile, it was the beginning of a long, continuous drought for Ferguson, leading to his eventual UFC release.

Even though his MMA career is behind him, at least for now, Ferguson told Dublin Live his ambition regarding a fight against McGregor, belt or no belt, is a significant goal he wants to achieve. Ferguson, 41, left MMA on an eight-fight skid.

"If it does come to fruition [a fight against McGregor], yes, I will turn it up and I will f****** hire everybody that I used to when we were getting back, because I got the full dossier,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said he has yet to forget McGregor's avoidance of him when the Irishman still held UFC gold, making a bold claim in the process.