Coach hints that Conor McGregor could be Tony Ferguson’s next opponent

With UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov stuck in Russia due to new COVID-19 travel restrictions, his would-be opponent Tony Ferguson must make a decision: wait to fight Nurmagomedov when the pandemic subsides, or fight somebody else in the meantime. John Kavanagh, the coach behind Conor McGregor, seems to be hoping Ferguson goes the latter route.

On Tuesday, ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani posted a poll on Twitter, asking fans if they’d prefer to see Ferguson wait to fight Nurmagomedov or fight replacement opponent Justin Gaethje on April 18.

That’s when Kavanagh chimed in.

The long-time McGregor coach suggested that there’s a third option, clearly hinting at a fight between Ferguson and his star pupil.

maybe there’s a third option…

— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) March 31, 2020

“Maybe there’s a third option…” Kavanagh wrote in response to Helwani’s poll.

While a potential Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson fight is fun to think about, it certainly seems unlikely at this time. McGregor is currently hunkered down in his native Ireland, and as we’ve seen, international travel is increasingly difficult during this pandemic.

Furthermore, McGregor recently campaigned with great fervor for a complete lockdown of Ireland, so the possibility of his jumping on a plane to fight Ferguson — if doing so is even possible — seems very unlikely. He’d be doing precisely what he’s asked the Irish public not to do: leaving home.

That being said, a McGregor vs. Ferguson fight is certainly possible sometime down the road. Having withdrawn from his planned fight with Ferguson, Nurmagomedov will likely be unavailable for some time, as he will soon begin fasting for Ramadan. If Ferguson intends to fight soon, he might have to turn his attention to somebody like McGregor or Gaethje.

Does a potential fight between Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson interest you? Who do you think would win?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/31/2020.