Justin Gaethje will more then earn a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov if he beats Tony Ferguson in style at UFC 249.
That is the view of analyst and former fighter Dan Hardy as the UFC roars back into action this weekend.
Gaethje will take on Ferguson for the interim lightweight title - and the right to challenge champion Nurmagomedov later this year.
UFC president Dana White, however, has offered no promise that Saturday night's winner will meet the Russian next.
And he has admitted his desire to see Conor McGregor clash with his arch rival in a rematch of their 2018 meeting.
But Hardy believes Gaethje would be in pole position - and would prove a tough test for Nurmagomedov.
"If Justin is impressive and stops Tony in the fist couple of rounds, there will be a desire to see Gaethje vs Khabib," Hardy told Mirror Fighting .
"The things Tony Ferguson does well are very different to what Khabib does well, and they're polar opposites to what Gaethje does well.
"If you compare Gaethje to Khabib, they’re very similar in terms of what they’re able to do. They both move forward, Gaethje uses his wrestling defensively, Khabib uses his offensively but I think their wrestling styles will match well and we have a real scrap on our hands.
"There is the potential that Khabib takes Ferguson down and mauls him against the fence like the does most people whereas Gaethje has the potential to stop that.
"As long as he has a good performance against Ferguson, people will want to see that fight anyway. And given Ferguson is held in such high regard, if someone does beat him it will do wonders for Justin."
Ferguson was due to take on Nurmagomedov last month but the Russian was unable to secure a flight to America.
Gaethje jumped at the chance to fight for the interim 155lb belt - and Hardy expects him to be ready to face Ferguson.
"Gaethje has tuned a corner in his career, he’s looked very different in the last three fights than he did in the first 20 fights of his career," he added.
"He’s at a point where he realises the potential he has, he just needed the opportunity to prove it.
"There's only a certain amount of developing he’s able to do before he’s ready for a title, so he knows he’s ready.
"He’s in a place where he’s been waiting for the opportunity. he’s always in shape and always prepared and I think he’s always looking up the food chain.
"If you’re the likely replacement for a fight that's not been made four times already, you start to think about being prepared just in case. I got the impression he’s been in the gym as much as he can."
Join Dan Hardy and the team this Saturday as BT Sport 1 shows the return of live UFC from 10.30pm
