Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor (R) wants a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov (L). In this picture, Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov faces-off with Conor McGregor during the UFC 229 Press Conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Sep. 20, 2018. Steven Ryan/Getty Images

Conor McGregor is aching to get a second crack at Khabib Nurmagomedov and the Irishman may just get it. However, he will need to play the waiting game since UFC president Dana White says that Tony Ferguson is the first option.

It appears that the 35-year-old has emerged as the favorite to face the Russian mixed martial artist next. Ferguson won by TKO in the second round over Donald Cerrone last June at UFC 238 and currently holds a 15-1 record. He is on a 12-fight win streak and has not lost since 2012. Ironically, that win streak is the same as that of Nurmagomedov, BJ Penn reported.

"Tony Ferguson gets the next shot. If for whatever reason Tony can’t take the fight or doesn’t want the fight at that time, then we would figure out what was next, but yeah, Conor would make a lot of sense," White said when asked about a potential rematch in a report from MMA weekly.

Nurmagomedov is coming off a dominating win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242. He forced 30-year-old American mixed martial artist to submit following a rear-naked choke. Curiously, it was the same finishing move he applied to McGregor during UFC 229 last year.

The sudden interest in a potential McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov fight hardly comes as a surprise. There is no love lost between the two UFC stars, a feud that got out of hand at UFC 229. The Notorious has been out of action since that last fight but has been busy getting himself embroiled in trouble outside the Octagon.

Seeing that this is what MMA fans want to see, White seems to be coy to the idea. However, seeing the two rivals face each other again depends on what Ferguson decides. A clash between him and Nurmagomedov has been booked in the past but somehow both have pulled out for various reasons. It remains to be seen if that will happen again once made official.

And while Nurmagomedov has proven he still has that finishing move, McGregor conditioning comes to mind. Seeing how he lost badly to the Russian last time out, another one could be demoralizing and pull him down even more. Hence, a rematch between McGregor and Nurmagomedov is something although the Irishman may stand to lose more than just a match if he is not ready.

RELATED STORIES