Conor McGregor, it's time to defend that belt – and Tony Ferguson is the perfect man for the job

One thing I feel confident saying about Tony Ferguson’s callout of Conor McGregor at UFC 216: He didn’t spend too much time beforehand thinking about precisely which words to use.

Which is not to say that he put no thought into it. Calling him “McNuggets” was proof of that, and while it might not be the burn that sets the world on fire, it was at least better than what followed, when the interim UFC lightweight champ leaned into the microphone to call the actual UFC lightweight champ a “(expletive) piece of (expletive).”

You know, keeping it simple.

But here’s one matchup that doesn’t need blistering trash talk or eloquent insults to feel important. This one is necessary just on its merits.

And if McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is smart, which he usually is, he’ll see that for himself. The time for cash-grabbing spectacle fights is over. Now’s the time to get down to the business of being the champ.

The question of who that champ should fight is now firmly settled, thanks to Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC). His win over Kevin Lee (16-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 216 pay-per-view headliner in Las Vegas was classic “El Cucuy.” He got mouthy, and he got hurt, and he got loose. He came close enough to losing to make it all the more impressive when he won with a triangle choke off his back.

That’s 10 in a row for Ferguson, and in arguably the most talent-rich division in the sport. Now he has a shiny gold belt to commemorate his achievement, but it’s still unclear what, exactly, that will get him.

UFC President Dana White claims it’ll be good enough for a title-unification bout with McGregor.

“It’s the fight that has to happen,” White said after the event. “It doesn’t ‘make sense’; it’s the fight that has to happen.”

But then, the days of the UFC telling McGregor what he has to do are long gone. These days, the UFC can only request. It can ask nicely. It can hope.

Nobody can make McGregor do anything now. Not unless he wants to. But this is one he should want, at least as long as he still wants to be an MMA fighter at all.

McGregor is by far the biggest star in the sport, not to mention the biggest PPV draw in the history of the UFC. But if there’s a knock on him at this point, it’s that he’s won two UFC titles without defending either. He’s willfully ignored the usual system of champions meeting contenders in favor of lining his pockets as he jumps from one payday to the next.

It’s smart, you have to admit. In this sport, you have to look out for your own future, since everyone else is just trying to use you as fodder for theirs. But McGregor has made enough money now that he might consider turning his attention to his legacy.

It’s one thing to win a UFC title, but it’s not really yours until you defend it. And if McGregor wants to remind everyone how he ended up as the champ in the first place, he could do a lot worse than to test himself against a guy like Ferguson.

There’s a lot to like about the fight. Ferguson may not be a superstar, but the man has a swagger and a style all his own. He’ll talk to you while he’s beating you up and then breakdance once he’s done. When he’s fighting is just about the only time you’ll catch him without sunglasses on, and even then his face looks somehow naked without them.

You put this guy in a fight opposite McGregor, you can expect a couple different kinds of fireworks. You can also expect, however temporarily, a return to some sense of normalcy, which feels pretty necessary right about now.

Because in between all the expletives and food-based insults, Ferguson offered McGregor a surprisingly reasonable choice: defend or vacate.

It does feel like it’s time for a decision, one way or another. For a smart fighter and savvy businessman like McGregor, this one ought to be a no-brainer.

For complete coverage of UFC 216, check out the UFC Events section of the site.