Dana White wants Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson next, dismisses talk of Mayweather, McGregor fights

Ever since UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 earlier this month, there’s been talk of a potential rematch between the two stars. That being said, UFC President Dana White claims this is not the current plan.

“I haven’t even thought about a [McGregor] rematch,” White told ESPN. “Obviously, I know Conor wants a rematch. We need to do what’s right and what’s fair. We’ll see how it plays out. We literally haven’t thought about it yet.”

And that potential boxing match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Floyd Mayweather? White says we can forget about that too.

“Don’t pay attention to [those rumors],” White said. “First of all, the Mayweather team has not approached us at all. Khabib is under contract with the UFC; we haven’t talked to anybody from the Mayweather team. Floyd is very good at getting his name back out there when he’s ready to.”

If Khabib Nurmagomedov is indeed not fighting Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather next, the only options would seem to be Dustin Poirier or Tony Ferguson. In White’s eyes, Ferguson is the more deserving of the two, based on the fact that he very recently wore interim lightweight gold.

“As a fight fan, you’ve got to go with Tony,” White said. “Tony had the belt, tweaked his knee, got stripped, this fight happens — Tony never lost the [interim] belt in a fight. Neither did Conor, but Conor got the opportunity to actually fight [Nurmagomedov]. I think Tony deserves the next shot.”

Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov have been scheduled to fight four times previously, yet thanks to a procession of injuries and weight-cut complications, the pair have never actually made it into the cage together. Do you think the fifth time could be the charm for these streaking lightweight talents?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/19/2018.