Former Strikeforce lightweight champion and current MMA analyst Josh Thomson, who shared his thoughts on who he thinks is the only fighter that can beat Islam Makhachev last month, weighed in on the prospect of Tony Ferguson coaching The Ultimate Fighter opposite Conor McGregor, which is the rumored billing for the upcoming 51st season of the show.
Although it’s not a given that Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) would face McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) at the culmination of the show, if it were to happen, Thomson, who lost to Ferguson via unanimous decision in 2015, thinks that Tony Ferguson’s style could prose problems for Conor McGregor.
βI actually think Tony beats Conor, though,β Thomson said on his Weighing In podcast. βA lot of it comes down to the leg. He did slow down, Tony has slowed down also, but Tonyβs funkiness will give Conor a little bit of a problem. The moving around, the switching the stance, the punches and kicks coming from different angles.β
Thomson added, βConor McGregor in the clinch is not a great fighter. Tony in the clinch is a dirty dog. He will elbow the sh*t out of your face. He will knee you. He will try to shuck you down and guillotine you. He will do whatever he can in that clinch.β
Both Ferguson and McGregor are on losing streaks, with Ferguson losing five in a row, his most recent loss being Nate Diaz at UFC 279. McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in his third match against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
Do you think Josh Thomson is correct in saying that Tony Ferguson’s style could pose problems for Conor Mcgregor? Let us know what you think in the comments.
