It’s as simple as this, Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (26-5-0) is in danger of losing a third straight fight now. Back to back defeats against Justin Gaethje & Charles Oliveira have seen him be beaten standing up and beaten on the canvas.
The lightweight division has been one of the top divisions for quality in the UFC and Ferguson is still a key part of it but three back to back loses is a big deal for anybody, not just for the fighters but also it affects how fans see the fighter, fickle natured or not you can’t ignore a top level fighter take three losses in a row.
On the flip side, two losses could spur Tony on to regain his form and beat a top contender during this year. He’s still Tony Ferguson and he’s an animal in the cage.
Who does he face next though?
As Ferguson is the number five ranked fighter in the division, there’s a handful of possibilities for who he faces next:
Khabib Nurmagomedov(29-0-0)
This is only on this article because a lot of people believe Khabib Nurmagomedov will return, even though I genuinely don’t. That’s why I’m doing this first.
But let’s just say Khabib came back, realistically he won’t just come back to achieve the big 30-0-0 only to retire again. He would want the title. For that he would need to have three fights, first against a top ranked fighter, then a number one contenders bout and finally the title fight. That first fight, would have Ferguson vs Nurmagomedov written all over it. The match fans were so close to getting but never did. This would be plausible if Khabib was returning but dreams exist for a reason.
Diego Ferreira(17-2-0)
This guy is on a six-fight winning steak and currently ranked ninth in the rankings, Dana White will only put Ferguson in a match that intrigues him and I believe this one would.
In Ferreira’s last fight, he submitted former champion Anthony Pettis in the second round.
Justin Gaethje(22-3-0)
Gaethje vs Ferguson II is not a fight fans would object to seeing, it would be another brutal slug-fest, no doubts about that. Once again this is another fight that highlights the standard of fights likely to be presented to Tony Ferguson. The current number one contender, Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje is always dangerous.
Islam Makhachev(18-1-0)
The thirteenth ranked competitor, another man on a six-fight winning streak, Makhachev will pose a serious threat to Ferguson. Knock out power and submission capabilities make him a perfect challenge for the former interim champion.
Regardless of who he fights, “El Cucuy” carries an air of anticipation when he’s in an octagon, an anticipation of a good battle.
The next fight for Ferguson is a must win.
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