Over the weekend (Sat. October 6, 2018), a pair of lightweights really stood out after UFC 229 came to a close. Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title against Conor McGregor in dominant fashion. Also, Tony Ferguson made a huge statement with a TKO win over Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.

With that being said, one would assume that the next fight to make is pretty clear. Ferguson deserves a chance to fight Khabib for the title next. Speaking to the media after the PPV, Ferguson said he and “The Eagle” deserve to try and make the fight happen again:

“Khabib and I deserve to fight,” Ferguson said. “We need to fight for the fifth time – we need to try this out again. He is the champ. I was the interim champ. I’m still the (expletive) champ. There’s no BS in this.”

Things are just a bit more complicated than that, however. After the UFC 229 main event, Khabib may have made things a bit more complicated going forward. Because he jumped the cage and attacked a McGregor teammate, he could be facing punishments that will keep him out of the Octagon for a bit.

Also, Conor McGregor’s desires hold a ton of weight with UFC brass. Having expressed interest in an immediate rematch, McGregor might be first in line for “The Eagle” when it’s time for him to return.