LAS VEGAS -- This weekend's interim UFC lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will be so wildly entertaining that it just might draw out Conor McGregor.
That is one (best-case) scenario, according to Nurmagomedov's coach, Javier Mendez, who says he doesn't expect McGregor to defend his UFC title in 2017 unless fans demand it.
Mendez says he doesn't really care whether McGregor resurfaces to face Saturday's winner -- Nurmagomedov (24-0) will be fine either way -- but if a title unification bout does happen, it will be because the events of this weekend will have created a "megafight" atmosphere in the UFC's lightweight division.
"If I had to guess right now, I would say [McGregor] boxes Floyd Mayweather and then returns to MMA to fight Nate Diaz, because that's a trilogy fight with guaranteed pay-per-view," Mendez said. "The one thing that could change all of that is if Khabib and Tony's fight is so exciting, all the fans end up wanting that fight for McGregor. And that could happen. I hope it does happen."
UFC president Dana White has already said it is "likely" McGregor's next fight will come inside the Octagon against either Nurmagomedov or Ferguson. McGregor (21-3), however, is tough to predict. The Irish star is currently taking a break for the birth of his first child and has spent the past four months talking about a boxing match against Mayweather.
Again, Nurmagomedov, 28, insists he won't lose sleep either way. He told ESPN.com this week he considers his fight against Ferguson to be the "greatest lightweight fight in UFC history." Nurmagomedov is undefeated, and Ferguson, who fights out Oxnard, California, is on a nine-fight winning streak.
Mendez, the head coach of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, seems to agree, even with the uncertainty surrounding McGregor and the official title.
"This is a bigger fight than some people realize," Mendez said. "Khabib is the first Muslim fighter to ever fight for a UFC strap. Regardless of it being an interim title, the majority of the fans out there believe this is for the real thing, because they don't believe Conor is ever going to defend his belt.
"Khabib is not after Conor. Yes, we talk about the guy because he's great at creating interest, but Khabib has 1.5 billion Muslim and Russian fans, hoping he wins the title this weekend. I'm pretty sure the Mayweather-McGregor fight is going to happen, and then he'll want a fight like Diaz. But I hope not. Hopefully, the fans demand he face Saturday's winner."
Should Nurmagomedov win the interim belt, he probably wouldn't defend or unify it until late summer at the earliest. Nurmagomedov misses time every year because of the Muslim observation of Ramadan, which extends from May 26 to June 25 in 2017.
In reality, no one seems to know exactly how the UFC's lightweight division will play out.
But for Mendez, as far as McGregor's role is concerned, fan interest is the only thing that can persuade him into defending his title this year. And this weekend will go a long way toward determining where that fan interest lies.
"This fight is going to go everywhere," Mendez said. "Tony is the biggest adversary Khabib is ever going to face. This fight, no matter how you look at it, is going to be exciting. Tony brings it. I expect this to be a great fight between two great fighters. They both know what's at stake. It's going to come down to who breaks who."