Following a hellacious five round slugfest with Justin Gaethje – eyes immediately directed towards the winner, and thus the bout no one wanted, but while a Highlight and an Eagle are set to tango a Boogeyman remains without a dance partner.
However – what is next for El Cucuy?
Mixed Martial Arts has proven time and time again to be an unforgiving sport and the story of Tony Ferguon's pro folic career is no different.
Following 12 consecutive victories inside the Octagon dating back to 2012 – the spotlight has drifted slightly from the man who kept everyone else in the shade(s).
Despite the cries for a Khabib Nurmagomedov match up – that bout bow lies with Gaethje who is the rightful no.1 contender to the Lightweight World Champion, with the chances of a potential showdown with Tony Ferguson now drifing gracefully into the afterthought of the horizon.
While both men may be sidelined via medical suspensions - UFC 249's main event ultimately settled the pending future for the victor but for the loser - what comes next?
Stand in
As mentioned previously – MMA is an unforgiving sport and while Ferguson suffered much more damage than his dance partner – Gaethje never came out unscathed,
An injury would put a dent in any immediate potential title fight with Khabib which could provide a surprising entry for Ferguson to step in on short notice - if clear.
Despite absorbing 100 strikes to the temple El Cucuy would happily step into the cage – next week.
Conor McGregor
The biggest name inside the top five without an opponent is undoubtedly Conor McGregor – but with names being thrown at the Irishman left, right and centre how much noise could a future showdown with Ferguson make?
The Notorious One has appeared on the hit list of the man who boasts the longest win-streak in Lightweight history with taunts of “McNuggets” echoed in two octagon interviews – following wins over Kevin Lee & Anthony Pettis – with the exact verbal threat repeated.
As of right now McGregor is without an opponent with calls for a showdown with BMF champion Jorge Masvidal cooling as of late with Gamebred all but surely set to challenge Kamaru Usman for the Welterweight strap.
A trilogy fight with Nate Diaz has also been whispered but the same gossip has floated round the MMA world since their second meeting in 2016 with both unwilling to put pen to paper.
Regardless of if Ferguson wants the fight – the drive would likely have to come from the former Featherweight champion – with previous talk of wanting to get back into a title picture a win over the #1 current lightweight would put McGregor back in pole position to challenge rival Khabib down the line.
Rematch
It is rather unusual for calls of a rematch following such a one side affair – but standard and Tony Ferguson don't mix which has prompted many on social media to remain hopeful of a second bout between the two.
Despite this being unlikely, it is fair to observe that several factors may have influenced his preparation for Gaethje with analysts singling out his weight cut on April 17 despite no fight taking place.
These would however be Ferguon’s own doing, and he appeared healthy enough in the build up with no reported issues – which gives little backing to the calls and with many believing The Highlight won all rounds prior to the stoppage – a rematch such a short period after their bout seems unlikely.
At 36-years-old it is improbable the two will meet again unless an injury to Khabib forces fate to intervene and El Cucuy to save the day.
Charles Oliviera
One of only two fighters inside the top ten to be a viable and as-of-yet a free option moving forward – and while both men may not be able to square off until at least Winter time their styles could prove to be an interesting match up.
The Brazilian is fresh off a victory in March which saw him defeat a former foe of Ferguson in Kevin Lee; and a step up in opposition against the former interim lightweight champion would be an interesting test for the 30-year-old.
Despite a record consisting of 8 losses, Oliveira has put together a run of seven wins with the most submission wins in UFC History (14) and most finishes in UFC history alongside Donald Cerrone (16).
Al Iaquinta
When ‘Raging’ Al Iaquinta shows up, you can count on heart, fire and a hell of a fight, a pairing with Ferguson has the potential to be a fight of the year candidate.
Both men have never been knocked out in their career despite fighting with a style that has left than open and with wins over Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Lee in his career a fight with El Cucuy could propel the 33-year-old back into the title picture.
Having already squared off against Khabib for the lightweight title back in 2018 – it would be interesting to see how Ferguson would fair against a man who went the full five rounds with The Eagle.
Iaquinta is currently on a two-fight losing streak to Cerrone and fellow top ten lightweight Dan Hooker who is set to fight Dustin Poirier in the near future.
Have thought on who Tony Ferguson should fight next, or any other opinion?
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