Tony Ferguson confident he will be the first dominant lightweight champion

While Tony Ferguson is still holding out on signing his next fight contract in hopes of earning himself more money, ‘El Cucuy’ can’t help but catch the headlines of lightweight title talk.

While it was initially reported that Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov would be fighting for the interim lightweight championship, Ferguson then stated that he would be holding out for more money. This then resulted in news surfacing that Nate Diaz had been offered an interim lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. In addition, at the same time, it was being reported that UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was in talks with the UFC to move up to lightweight for an interim lightweight title fight.

Most recently however, UFC President Dana White stated that the UFC was looking into the possibility of the promotion holding an event in Russia, with Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov possibly being McGregor’s first lightweight title defense.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Ferguson weighed-in on the lightweight title picture, saying:

“I’m glad Conor’s got that [belt], because right now he can try to enjoy it as much as he wants to. I know fatherhood’s a great thing, so I can appreciate that. So enjoy your time, do your thing, whatever you’ve got to do, and then when you come back, we’ll be ready for you,” Ferguson said.

“I always said the 155-pound belt’s been in so many grubby hands, man. It’s never stayed there for three years. We’ve never had somebody to secure the legacy for the 155-pound division. All the champions, to the guys way back then. Like Georges St-Pierre at 170, 185 for Anderson Silva. You have B.J. Penn, but nobody’s really secured it at 155 pounds for more than three years. That thing’s been in so many f*cking hands. There really needs to be a real champion there, and that’s me.”

Only time will tell who gets the fight against Conor McGregor, or if Ferguson will reach a deal with the UFC and fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the interim lightweight title.