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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MAY 09: Tony Ferguson of the United States prepares to fight Justin Gaethje of the United States prior to their Interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MAY 09: Tony Ferguson of the United States prepares to fight Justin Gaethje of the United States prior to their Interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Tony Ferguson has made his stance clear about fighting former two-time Bellator champion Michael Chandler. Initially, Ferguson had called out Chandler to headline UFC 256 in December. However, Chandler responded by saying that he would require more time in order to prepare against El Cucuy.
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Subsequently, he put forth a counter-offer on the table and expressed his desire to face the former interim champion in the co-main event of UFC 257: Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor.
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INGLEWOOD, CA – JANUARY 20: Michael Chandler Jr (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Goiti Yamauchi (not pictured) in their Lightweight fight at Bellator 192 at The Forum on January 20, 2018 in Inglewood, California. Michael Chandler Jr won by unanimous decision. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
However, in a new revelation, Ferguson has claimed that Chandler has already signed another fight. While details regarding the same are yet to be out, seems like Ferguson has made his mind clear that if he is going to fight Chandler, it’s going to be in 2020.
UFC has said you have already accepted Another Fight ese! So @MikeChandlerMMA stop crying to @espnmma about fighting me. You want to compete against me I’ll be in Vegas Dec 12. Accept or we move on. -Champ Shit Only™️ kid ⚔️🕶 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 F’kn #AmateurHour # BeGon’Thot pic.twitter.com/Ua4p4moi8W
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) November 18, 2020
Tony Ferguson took to Twitter and rained down on UFC’s fresh prospect, who has quickly found himself in title contention courtesy of his spectacular run during his time at Bellator. A potential opponent Chandler could have signed for is against Justin Gaethje.
Where does Tony Ferguson go from here?
Tony Ferguson doesn’t have a lot of options ahead of him if what he stated in his recent tweet is true. With Conor McGregor set to take on Dustin Poirier next, and Chandler vs Gaethje looking like a likely possibility, it seems like Ferguson might have to wait till he finds a solid opponent to jump back to the title picture.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Tony Ferguson interacts with media during the UFC 249 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on March 06, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
There is a likely possibility that Ferguson could take on rising contender Dan Hooker. However, there’s little to gain should he triumph over the British fighter. Hooker is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Dustin Poirier. Meanwhile, the return of Rafael dos Anjos also looks like a huge opportunity; but, Ferguson already has a win over the former lightweight champion.
It seems as though Ferguson could be resigned to wait for the outcome of Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor.
UFC President Dana White is still confident about Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s return. Hence, a potential clash with the Eagle is also on the cards. Needless to say, El Cucuy’s return to the Octagon is going to be huge. When do you think it will happen?