Tony Ferguson wants GSP, not Conor McGregor

If Tony Ferguson is able to take out Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 on April 7, it’s more than likely that he’ll battle Conor McGregor in the not too distant future. Apparently, however, Ferguson isn’t all that interested in McGregor.

“Conor who?” Ferguson said at a UFC 223 media luncheon this week (via MMAJunkie). “I mean, the guy’s not in the picture. Straight up. I mean, bless his heart. He’s made his money. He’s doing his thing. He’s got an education for his kid. That’s what we all want, right?”

“Conor, he’s influenced a lot of fighters,” Ferguson said. “That’s cool, man. That’s dope. But it’s taken a lot of work to get there. Not just (talking). It’s taken work. You had to earn it. …. With that much loot, what are you going to do now? Are you going to go back to a sport where you have to bleed? No. Take care of yourself, man. Really, go do your thing.”

So who is Tony Ferguson’s dream opponent? Somewhat surprisingly, it’s former UFC welterweight and middleweight champ Georges St-Pierre. Ferguson says would love to meet the Canadian star at welterweight, where his career began.

“GSP,” Ferguson said. “I mean, that’s what I signed up for in the beginning. I was 170 pounds; 155 was forced on me. One hundred and seventy pounds, where I have 12 fights.”

“A GSP match, I mean really, he wants a money fight, but he’s an athlete,” Ferguson said. “We all have to pay bills. You’ve got to pay your taxes. … Pay attention because when you’re not doing it and you’re not paying attention and you’re going on just fighting for money fights, you’re forgetting, and (the belt) starts losing its luster. It becomes tarnished.”

Would you be interested in a welterweight showdown between Tony Ferguson and Georges St-Pierre?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/30/2018.