Conor McGregor looks set to make his comeback against old rival Tony Ferguson - but UFC fans aren't too keen on the matchup.
Former two-weight champion McGregor is expected to make his UFC return this year having not fought since breaking his leg in defeat by Dustin Poirier in July 2021. 'Notorious' has been linked with a whole host of potential opponents for his comeback fight including Michael Chandler, Jorge Masvidal and Ferguson.
Ferguson was once on a 12-fight winning streak in the UFC and even won the interim lightweight title in 2016. Despite his and McGregor's success in the division, a fight between the pair never materialised. Ferguson has lost five fights in a row but claims the UFC have offered him a spot to coach The Ultimate Fighter against McGregor, but fans think a fight between the rivals would be a big mismatch.
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One fan wrote: "If it’s official it’s sad they are throwing Tony into a tough fight. He should retire, he still hasn’t recovered from the head-kick KO. Did anyone watch his fight vs an old Nate?" Another user wrote: "Not interested in watching Tony die in the cage. Tony should really consider his health," with a third user adding: "Conor would kill Tony I’m sorry but, Tony’s done man."
McGregor coached against Urijah Faber on season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2015 and recently shared a picture of himself during the series on Instagram. Whilst detailing the context of the picture, McGregor showed his interest in coaching on the UFC's reality TV series again by writing: "Some journey. I have just been offered to coach this role again. I like it. It is full immersion which is needed. I see fighters lining up. I know what is ahead I been ready motherf******s."
The opposing coaches of The Ultimate Fighter typically go on to fight each other after the series has concluded, but this wasn't the case when McGregor and Faber coached against each other in 2015. The opponent for McGregor's return is still unclear, with Chandler also showing is interest in coaching The Ultimate Fighter in the hopes of fighting McGregor.
Obviously, everybody knows I would be down. Me and Conor on The Ultimate Fighter, whether it be four-six weeks, however long we would be filming that thing. The tension, the rivalry, the competition, the trash talk, just the animosity that would be built up and then go into a training camp and fight later on after the show," Chandler told Believe You Me.
