After the disappointment of his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov falling through, Tony Ferguson is now talking up a potential fight with Nate Diaz.
“The only person that I want to go toe-to-toe with that’s less than top two is Nate Diaz,” Ferguson told the UFC Tonight show. “I’d love to go toe-to-toe with him. For everybody else that’s out there, they probably don’t deserve a shot with me. Myself, the fans, and everybody else out there, would love to see that fight. The battle of California baby, let’s do this.”
Ferguson is currently riding a hugely impressive nine-fight winning streak that includes a win over former champion Rafael dos Anjos last time out, and normally that’s the kind of form that would more than qualify a top contender a shot at the title, but with current champion Conor McGregor on hiatus for an indefinite amount of time, he needs to stay active and there’s no doubt a fight with Diaz would be highly entertaining.
“I want to fight one of the best fighters in the world that’s out there as far as lightweight contention. I’ve put in my time. I’ve put in my numbers.”
It remains to be seen if Diaz would have any interest in taking that fight though. He’s already scoffed at the idea of fighting former titleholder Eddie Alvarez, and with McGregor recently indicating that he still sees a trilogy fight with Diaz in his future, the Stockton native may prefer to stay on the sidelines for the time being.
If Ferguson had his way though, McGregor would vacate his title while he pursues a fight with Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring, enabling him to fight Diaz for the vacant belt in the summer.
“If Conor wants to leave the belt, and wants to pursue some sort of victory in the boxing world, which I don’t think he will, the dude’s got a puncher’s chance. I mean, vacate the belt right now. Drop it. Leave it where it’s at and we’ll fight for the belt during International Fight Week.”
