Edson Barboza is not the type of fighter you’ll see engaged in trashtalking or social media feuds.

But every so often, Barboza is willing to break out the keyboard and do some campaigning in order to achieve his octagon goals. The current one is, of course, the rematch with fellow lightweight contender Tony Ferguson – which he requested immediately after his flying-knee knockout of Beneil Dariush last month.

More recently, Barboza (19-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) responded to a tweet by Ferguson (22-3 MMA, 12-1 UFC) saying the lightweight division, currently led by Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC), “deserves a real champion.”

Speaking to MMAjunkie Radio following the Twitter challenge, Barboza elaborated on his thoughts.

“I think McGregor is not the real champ,” Barboza said. “He has the belt, but – I have more than, almost 20 fights in this division. Ferguson has more than 10 fights in this division. Khabib (Nurmagomedov) has almost 10 fights in this division. And I think the next champ is going to be the fight for the interim belt.

“And I really hope the UFC gives me a chance to fight with Tony Ferguson, because he said he wants to fight, and I want to fight, too. I hope the UFC gives me this chance.”

As far as actual activity in the division goes, Barboza has a point. While McGregor’s rise has been undeniable, he’s only had one official 155-pound bout in the octagon – it just so happened to be the one in which the Irishman, then the featherweight champ, beat then-lightweight-champ Eddie Alvarez to become the first person to hold two titles simultaneously in the UFC.

That was last November, and McGregor, later stripped of the 145-pound belt, has yet to return. A rather active fighter in the past, he decided to take some time off amidst the upcoming birth of his firstborn. Since then, speculations of a fight between him and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather have been growing stronger, casting further doubt on when – or even if – exactly the “Notorious” will come back to the octagon.

In any case, Barboza says he’s not too worried about McGregor and won’t even watch the boxing match in case it does come to fruition.

“I don’t really think about this guy,” Barboza said. “I don’t keep my focus on him. I really don’t care about him.”

One thing Barboza, currently ranked No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings does seem to care about, however, is getting the aforementioned rematch with No. 3 Ferguson. The first encounter, granted “Fight of the Night” honors in late 2015, ended with a second-round submission by Ferguson.

Barboza has since gone on a three-fight tear, with ex-UFC-champ Anthony Pettis and former Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez among his victims. And, having stepped in on short-notice for an injured Nurmagomedov in his first encounter with Ferguson, the striker believes things will be different given proper time to prepare.

“So many guys talk about this fight,” Barboza said. “It’s a rematch for me. I think this fight makes sense for us. It makes sense for me; it makes sense for him. I know he said he doesn’t want to wait, and I’m here – I’m ready. You guys remember the last fight I had with him. It was a really good fight, one of the best of the year. Imagine, guys, five rounds, me and him, with a full camp.

“My last fight against him, I had a four-week camp. I got the fight on short notice. Imagine, guys, five rounds. That’s going to be a good fight – maybe one of the best fights of the year.”

As for a timeline for a potential rematch, Barboza has no problem going with Ferguson’s current plan.

“He said he’s ready for July,” Barboza said. “That’s going to be perfect for me. I’m ready for July, too. Why not?”

To hear Barboza’s thoughts, check out the video above.

And for more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.