One of the greatest “what ifs” of this century — particularly in the realm of combat sports — is that of the failed contest booking between a prime Tony Ferguson and a prime Khabib Nurmagomedov. Scheduled and scrapped five separate times, the matchup became more legend than reality, leaving fans utterly disappointed and frustrated with each fallout. The bout seemed cursed from the beginning, with both fighters withdrawing for one reason or another, with the final nail in the coffin being hammered by the 2020 pandemic.

Five years have elapsed since the last time the UFC tried to get this bout done. Now, neither fighter is in the UFC — ‘El Cucuy’ tried to walk his way back to title contention, only to amass an eight-fight losing streak (after a 12-fight winning streak), while ‘The Eagle’ went on to become one of the greatest lightweights of all time, with an undefeated 29-0 record. Still, that hasn’t stopped the Oxnard, California native from stirring the pot and rekindling the fire that defined his and Khabib’s matchup — for a fight at the White House. The only issue here is that Nurmagomedov’s teammate isn’t a fan of the idea.

Daniel Cormier shuts down Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov at the White House

Speaking on a recent episode of the Good Guy/Bad Guy show, Daniel Cormier didn’t hold back, reminding his co-host, “We have never gotten over the fact that the one that we lost was Khabib versus Tony Ferguson.” He then ran through the litany of mishaps, Ferguson tripping on a wire that led to a severe knee injury, Nurmagomedov’s own string of injuries, and endless cancellations, before assessing ‘El Cucuy’s recent boxing match with Salt Papi. “Goes out and boxes, gets a dub, and now he’s calling for that fight to finally happen. Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov on the White House lawn. Chael, are you in? Tony Ferguson is ready to vanquish the Russian giant, Khabib Nurmagomedov.”

Unable to hide his amusement, Chael Sonnen called it his “favorite rumor of the week,” and compared it to the buzz surrounding the UFC’s event at the Las Vegas Sphere. For Sonnen, the venue — the White House lawn — is almost as intriguing as the matchup. Still, beneath the humor lies the reality. A Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov fight would no doubt grab attention, but is it anything more than fantasy?

To answer that, Cormier brought the conversation back down to earth as he further shared on Good Guy/Bad Guy, “But I don’t need to see him fight MMA no more, Chael. I mean, I just don’t, because if Tony, not even to think about the Khabib Nurmagomedov side because that is so far from ever happening, Khabib fighting again.” The real kicker came when the former champ-champ recalled how ‘The Eagle’ once turned down $40 million to fight again. That, to him, sealed it as he shared, “So calling him out is like calling out the Pope, hey Pope, you want to fight MMA? It’s like it’s not going to happen. He’s not going to fight him.”

The metaphor captured the absurdity — Ferguson’s dream fight is about as likely as a papal cage match. But Ferguson isn’t letting go. In an interview this summer, he insisted, “I would fight Khabib at the White House. And I guarantee you, maybe that’s something he would want to do.” He even invoked the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and claimed that he said that ‘El Cucuy’ was the only fight that made sense for Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The truth is, Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov will likely remain one of MMA’s greatest ghosts, but what if there was another name to face him at the White House?—someone who also has a long-standing rivalry with the Dagestani lightweight?

Chael Sonnen claims Tony Ferguson is not “off the table” for Conor McGregor’s White House return

Chael Sonnen has thrown Conor McGregor‘s name into the mix, but not for Khabib Nurmagomedov, instead for Tony Ferguson! Speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘The Bad Guy’ argued that the Irishman’s long-awaited comeback doesn’t need to involve rankings, titles, or even consequences.

According to Sonnen, “Not only is it not going to be a title fight, it’s not going to be a No. 1 contender fight. It’s not going to be a fight that affects the rankings at all, and everybody is eligible. Conor used to be a world champion, so Conor can fight anybody, but Conor is not ranked. Conor is not even licensed.”

Instead, he believes the return bout should be “one-night-only,” an event built on spectacle. It does make a strange kind of sense. McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he broke his tibia against Dustin Poirier, and has been angling for a White House return recently, even indicating that he’s back in the testing pool.

For McGregor, the White House card could be about making a moment rather than climbing a ladder. That’s where Ferguson comes in. Both men have traded insults for years, with Ferguson mocking McGregor’s out-of-cage troubles and McGregor dismissing ‘El Cucuy’ as irrelevant.

As such, Sonnen continued, “So if we bring him back, we could put him with somebody that isn’t ranked, an older name, a name that you know. We can bring somebody in. Tony Ferguson would not be off the table. This doesn’t affect anything in the future. This is a one-night-only event.”

Of course, there’s still Michael Chandler. He’s been waiting on McGregor for what feels like forever and recently claimed he believes the White House event will finally deliver the fight. But in the unpredictable world of fight promotion, right doesn’t always mean real. So, now the question becomes: should Khabib Nurmagomedov not return, will the White House lawn host McGregor vs. Ferguson instead? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!