McGregor backs Nurmagomedov to beat Ferguson

Irish professional mixed martial arts fighter and boxer Conor McGregor is confident UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be able to beat Tony Ferguson if they clash in his next title defence. 

"I think Khabib would probably beat him," McGregor said. "Tony is a formidable fighter. Also, he’s very, very, tough. ‘He does go down. He does get dropped. His guard has been passed. He’s been mounted by a lesser fighter. So I would favour Khabib in that bout," Metro.uk cited him as saying.

The lightweight champion has anointed Ferguson as his next challenger, a fight that the UFC have been forced to cancel on four separate occasions. Nurmagomedov is expected to return to the octagon early next year and McGregor broke down why the Russian is the favourite to end Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak. 

McGregor is set to meet the media in Moscow on October 24, where he could make an announcement about his next fight.