Forget the Floyd Mayweather fantasy – the most dangerous threat to Conor McGregor will be decided this weekend. Sky Sports explain…
Either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson could be wearing the UFC world championship that currently adorns Conor McGregor's tattooed midriff, had the stars aligned differently.
Both lightweights had overwhelmingly strong cases to challenge Eddie Alvarez for the belt last November, arguments that could only be trumped by McGregor banging his jewellery-bedazzled fist on the negotiating table. McGregor skipped the queue, thrashed Alvarez to become the first simultaneous holder of two UFC belts, and upped the ante in his bid for a dream contest against Floyd Mayweather.
But McGregor can't ignore Nurmagomedov and Ferguson forever. The record-setting Irishman has never defended either of his two world championships, owing to a penchant for upwards momentum, but must be finally held to account upon his return.
Russia's Nurmagomedov and American's Ferguson will vie for the interim version of McGregor's belt at UFC 209 in a match-up as brilliantly compelling as anything the sport is able to offer at the moment. The winner will be strapped with a replica belt, the legitimacy of which can only be decided when unifying against McGregor.
"He's trying to avoid me by going over to boxing," Ferguson taunted this week. "I told him, go spend some of that money, dude. Then come back when you're ready to be a man."
Ferguson, a tornado of unorthodox spinning attacks, has won nine consecutive fights in the 155lbs ranks, widely accepted as one of the UFC's most competitive divisions. It is a travesty that he hasn't yet been rewarded with a crack at the top prize but, should he be McGregor's next opponent, his patience will be lucratively compensated.
Yet Ferguson's winning streak still only makes him the No 2 lightweight contender, due to the terrifying uprising of top-ranked Nurmagomedov.
Owner of a rare undefeated record, and even rarer YouTube footage of wrestling matches against wild bears, Nurmagomedov has already stirred the pot for a potential fight against McGregor in a backstage altercation before each man's most recent fight.
Yet the cruel possibility remains that Nurmagomedov and Ferguson may hobble backstage post-fight, having beaten each other black-and-blue, and neither will be rewarded with their deserved opportunity at challenging McGregor. They may need to look no further than the fight after their own, a welterweight title rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson.
Having captured the featherweight and lightweight belts, McGregor's next step up is welterweight - a division in which he has competed just twice, exchanging wins with Nate Diaz. He has already trumpeted the possibility of a hat-trick of championships.
Woodley and Thompson's presence is a reminder of how many pies McGregor has a finger in, notwithstanding his preference to enter the boxing ring against Mayweather. But the most intriguing fight that awaits the Irishman, and the one which must stir his competitive drive, is his first ever world title defence against Nurmagomedov or Ferguson.