The shroud of mystery surrounding the question of Conor McGregor's next opponent may soon be lifted, and the answer could see a rising Kiwi talent bathing in the Irishman's bright lights.
The titan of trash-talk hasn't defended his UFC lightweight title in almost a year after his well-publicised boxing hiatus, and with the loss to Floyd Mayweather now firmly in the rear-view mirror, the pressure has begun to build for the 29-year-old to accept the challenge from any number of contenders queuing up for their shot at his highly-coveted scalp.
Recently-crowned interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson appears to be the man for that job in a fight likely to headline UFC 219, the promotion's marquee New Year's Eve pay-per-view event.
It's the very card on which New Zealand's Dan Hooker has been booked to fight Brit Marc Diakese, meaning the Aucklander could well be sharing the stage with one of sport's most transcendent superstars in Las Vegas.
"I feel so. He holds the interim lightweight belt and I am the unified champion. It seems to be top of the list," McGregor told Entertainment Ireland when Ferguson's name was suggested.
"They are trying to push for December 30th, it may or may not happen. We will see."
"There are many, many options and at the end of the day I am the one who makes the decision on who I face and when I face that person. We are currently in contract negotiation stage and we'll see where we're at."
The Irishman's monumental draw in terms of viewership has made any slot on his undercard highly valuable. He holds the current record for pay-per-view buys at a UFC event with1.65 million. His duel with Mayweather drew a haul of 4.4 million, good enough to have him second on the all time list across all sports, behind only the American's bout against Manny Pacquiao in 2015.
If Hooker can even come close to replicating his highlight reel finish of Englishman Ross Pearson in his last fight at UFC Auckland in June, the 27-year-old's profile could see him leapfrog his way up the rankings in one of the promotion's most hotly-contested divisions.
As for McGregor's upcoming foil, the man nicknamed 'El Cucuy' (the Mexican iteration of the 'Boogeyman') hasn't been shy in making his challenge heard loud and clear.
Immediately following his submission win over Kevin Lee to claim his interim title, Ferguson took to the microphone to lay down the gauntlet in no uncertain terms.
"Where you at McNuggets, ya f**king piece of s**t," Ferguson screamed during his post-fight interview.
"I'm gonna kick your ass. You better come and f**king defend that belt. Defend or vacate, motherf**ker."
Another of the Dubliner's options lies in a decisive third bout against Nate Diaz to round out the pair's trilogy inside the Octagon.
The Stockton, California native became the only man to finish McGregor in the UFC in the first of those contests, before losing a razor-close decision in the rematch a few months later.
Whether a title is on the line or not, McGregor believes that it's a mere inevitability that the two trash-talking titans will get a chance to settle their scores at some stage in 2018.
"We are one apiece, we must complete the trilogy. The fact that the trilogy is always going to be there is why maybe it will not be next, we'll see.
"I feel in 2018 it will happen, yes."
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