Tony Ferguson has been offered the chance to finally square off with Khabib Nurmagomedov after the pair's five UFC fights were cancelled.
Ferguson was made the offer by Nurmagomedov's long-time manager Ali Abdelaziz, although it would take place in a submission grappling match, not the UFC octagon.
The American is still actively competing in MMA, having fought twice since Nurmagomedov retired from the sport last year with an unbeaten record of 29-0.
And Abdelaziz has offered him the opportunity to finally make a bout with his old rival take place over six years since the pair were first booked against each other.
"Tony Ferguson what do you think about doing a grappling match with the Eagle in the future?" Abdelaziz asked in a seemingly random tweet earlier today.
"I’m not picking on you, I’m serious."
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The pair had one of the most famous "what if" rivalries in the history of MMA, booking five fights together that were cancelled for a variety of reasons, ranging from weight cut issues to the coronavirus pandemic.
They were first supposed to fight as top contenders at the finale of season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter in December 2015, but Nurmagomedov pulled out with a rib injury forcing Ferguson to instead face Edson Barboza.
The following April the promotion tried again at UFC on Fox 19, but Ferguson was injured meaning the bout was cancelled for a second time.
It took another 11 months for the UFC to try again, this time for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209 as the co-main event of Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson.
But Nurmagomedov was hospitalised due to an issue with his weight cut, meaning the bout was once again delayed until April 2018.
That cancellation was arguably the most outrageous, with Ferguson tripping on a wire during a media appearance on Fox Sports that saw him tear ligaments in his knee, cancelling the fight for an unbelievable fourth time.
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Promotional boss Dana White gave up on the bout after the fourth cancellation, but gave it one more try after Ferguson emerged as a clear top contender for Nurmagomedov's lightweight title in 2020.
They set up a title fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York for UFC 249 in April 2020, but that was cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic.
And when Nurmagomedov couldn't get back into America from Russia for the rescheduled May date due to heightened travel restrictions, the American ended up facing Justin Gaethje and losing, putting an end to the rivalry before it could be settled.
This message from Abdelaziz is the first contact between the pair since that fight with Gaethje, and could signal Nurmagomedov's return to competition for the first time since his retirement.
He has insisted he will never fight again after his mother demanded he retire following the death of his father Abdulmanap, but has continued training and corners a number of top fighters.
