Conor McGregor sends birthday message to “El Cockeye” Tony Ferguson

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has sent a not-so-friendly birthday message to his long-time rival, Tony Ferguson.

Ferguson turned 37 on Friday, and received well wishes from many members of the MMA community, including the official UFC Twitter account.

The message he received from McGregor, however, wasn’t particularly warm.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1360242758565437445

McGregor addressed Ferguson in the replies to the UFC’s post. See what he had to say below.

Happy birthday el cockeye

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 12, 2021

“Happy birthday el cockey,” McGregor wrote, making a play on Ferguson’s nickname “El Cucuy.”

Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson have stood out as two of the best lightweights in the world for many years. While they briefly seemed to be on a collision course in 2017, when Ferguson won the interim lightweight title with a submission of Kevin Lee, and McGregor held the undisputed lightweight belt, they have never met in the Octagon.

That being said, a potential clash between the two stars still seems possible in 2021. Today, McGregor holds the No. 6 spot in the UFC lightweight rankings, while Ferguson is sitting one spot ahead of him at No. 5.

McGregor last fought in January, when he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier. That loss, a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight that McGregor won by knockout, separated the Irishman from a 40-second knockout win over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Ferguson, on the other hand, last fought in December, when he was out-grappled to a decision loss against streaking contender Charles Oliveira. Prior to that, he was thumped to a fifth-round TKO loss at the hands of Justin Gaethje. That loss marked the end of an incredible, 12-fight winning streak for the American star.

Do you think Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson will ever meet in the UFC’s Octagon? Who do you think would win this potential clash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.