Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson continue to trade barbs on Twitter

With lightweight champion Conor McGregor currently on a hiatus from competition, during which he will father his first child with girlfriend Dee Devlin, the lightweight limelight is shining on two men: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to deny either of these two dynamic contenders a lightweight title shot. With McGregor currently on the shelf, however, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson are faced with two options: wait for McGregor to return, and hope they win the sweepstakes to become his next opponent, or take another fight in the meantime.

Given that both men are dedicated competitors – and that no fight means no pay check – neither seems likely to wait around for McGregor to return. Instead, it appears probable that they’ll be pitted against each other in the meantime – perhaps even for an interim lightweight title.

With this possibility on the horizon, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have spent the last few days berating one another on Twitter. That trend continued late into Monday night, as the two streaking lightweights speared each other with several new verbal volleys.

See their latest exchange below.

Hello chicken @TonyFergusonXT all this gangster talk but why you no want to sign the contract? It's ok I kill u fast @danawhite @seanshelby

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) December 12, 2016

I Was Ready For Jan Ace, Your Puss Had Too Much Sand In It Still From The Last Fight. You Talk Too Much 😂

— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) December 12, 2016

I was ready in April main event on fox and you pulled out. https://t.co/Evkj9B1oWQ

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) December 13, 2016

Next time you see me don't ask me for picture like fan boy. When you ask me for picture you will get slap in your face https://t.co/Evkj9B1oWQ

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) December 13, 2016

When we last saw Nurmagomedov in action he extended his record to a ridiculous 24-0 with a lopsided submission defeat of dangerous lightweight contender Michael “The Menace” Johnson. Nurmagomedov earned this win, which occurred on the undercard of UFC 205, with a third-round kimura.

Ferguson, meanwhile, saw action just one week before Nurmagomedov’s latest win. He picked up an action-packed decision win over former champion Rafael Dos Anjos in the main event of the UFC’s latest trip to Mexico. This victory extended his win-streak to a whopping nine – one of the best active streaks in the UFC.

Do you think Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will be pitted against each other? If so, who wins? Sound off, PENN Nation!