McGregor will be the back-up for Khabib vs. Ferguson

Conor McGregor may just get the rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov that he’s been angling for since losing to him at UFC 229.

Nurmagomedov is set to defend the UFC lightweight title against Tony Ferguson in Brooklyn at UFC 249. However, McGregor will be the back-up in case either fighter is unable to fight due to injury or botched weight cut, according to UFC president Dana White.

Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is a fight with a troubled and – according to some fans – cursed history, with it having fallen through on four separate occasions.

McGregor himself has a fight scheduled for UFC 246 in January against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. However, the bout will be at 170lbs, a “155-pound fight that they're not cutting weight for,” according to Dana White.

This is all, of course, assuming McGregor gets past Cowboy, which has been treated as all but a foregone conclusion. If the rematch with Khabib is not in the books, it is assumed that there will be serious attempts to book a money fight between McGregor and Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, who is at the peak of his popularity and marketability.

There is a lot of skepticism about McGregor and where he stands in this lightweight division, but it is certainly clear that he has been itching for a rematch against the dominant Nurmagomedov.