Conor McGregor next fight latest: What Dana White and ‘The Notorious’ have said about Khabib, Jorge Masvidal, Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz
Conor McGregor first became a UFC champion roughly five years ago when he knocked out Chad Mendes in the second round at UFC 189.
It marked an incredible journey which saw McGregor’s superstar status transcend the sport of MMA in the space of around two years.
During those 24 months, the Irishman knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to become undisputed featherweight champion, enjoyed two incredible fights with Nate Diaz, made UFC history at Madison Square Garden and agreed to fight Floyd Mayweather.
However, as Newton’s Third Law suggests; ‘What goes up, must come down’.
Various disciplinary indiscretions outside of the octagon continued to blight the Irishman, until he made his return against Khabib Nurmagomedov for one of the most ill-tempered grudge matches ever seen.
As McGregor’s star began to rise, so did the height from which he fell after the defeat to the Russian at UFC 229 in October 2018. Injuries and yet more accusations away from the sport only served to tarnish his reputation.
Despite his comeback at UFC 246, the Irishman retired yet again in June of this year. On his 32nd birthday, marvelbet369.com looks at what may be next for the former two-weight world champion and if he could return again.
Jorge Masvidal
The current BMF title holder and ‘The Notorious’ have talked up the possibility of a fight for the past 12 months, ever since ‘Gamebred’ knocked out Ben Askren in the space of five seconds.
Although both men seemed to want the fight, UFC president Dana White suggested Masvidal was too big for McGregor – who at this point had only competed as a welterweight twice in his career.
Yet as the reported PPV buys from UFC 251 show, the demand for a fight between the two biggest draws in the sport continues to intensify.
Speaking after Masvidal’s defeat to Kamaru Usman, White admitted a McGregor vs Masvidal fight could be the biggest event the UFC has ever seen.
Comparing the bout between Masvidal and Usman to McGregor's defeat to lightweight champion Khabib in 2018, White said: “I wouldn't be surprised if he came out and wanted to fight somebody next year after all these different fights play out.”
Nate Diaz
After two incredible fights in 2016, Diaz and McGregor seemed set for a trilogy bout at some point in their respective careers. It just appeared to be a case of when, as opposed to if.
Four years on from their incredible clash at UFC 202, which still ranks as one of the most-purchased PPV events in the company’s history, the timing finally feels right.
Diaz returned last summer at UFC 240 against Anthony Pettis and looked sensational, only to suffer defeat at UFC 244 to Masvidal in their BMF title fight.
However, the cuts he was stopped on have now had sufficient time to heal and the timing for a trilogy fight could not be better – especially given their exchange on Sunday morning.
Justin Gaethje
After dethroning Tony Fergsuon as the number one contender to face Khabib in their interim lightweight title fight, Gaethe’s stock continues to rise in the lightweight division.
The victory at UFC 249 prompted a furious response from McGregor, as the two men have serious issues which can be traced back to last summer when a fight was reportedly close.
Coach John Kavanagh has confirmed this was the case, with the bad blood between McGregor and ‘The Highlight’ continuing to escalate.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Khabib’s situation after the death of his father, a lightweight title fight between the two men to determine who goes on to face the Russian in 2021 could generate serious fireworks.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Although it remains to be seen when ‘The Eagle’ will return to the octagon, a rematch with McGregor is a fight which will never be off the table.
Their first fight in 2018 generated a whopping 2.4 million PPV buys as the bad blood spilled into and out of the octagon with the brawl in the T-Mobile Arena going down in infamy.
McGregor claims he was injured going into the first fight and has acknowledged he did not prepare himself properly for the marauding and mauling Russian, who butchered the former 155lbs king.
While it remains to be seen if the 32-year-old could make the requisite adjustments for a second fight, there is no doubting the commercial appeal to the UFC if he at least tries.
Kamaru Usman
One of McGregor’s main reasons for announcing his third retirement in four years was reportedly a lack of ‘excitement’ currently in the fight game.
As ‘Marvellous’ Marvin Hagler once said: “It’s tough to go out and do roadwork when you’ve been sleeping in silk pyjamas.”
Since McGregor became the first fighter to hold two belts simultaneously, the feat has been achieved by the likes of Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo and Amanda Nunes.
However, no one in UFC history has ever become a three-weight world champion. The chance to achieve greatness and subsequently dethrone the greatest welterweight of this era would surely get the juices flowing once again.
It certainly helps that the two men have already discussed a fight, with Coach Kavanagh even tipping his man to secure a KO.
You can watch all the action from UFC Fight Night: Kattar v Ige live on BT Sport 1 from 1am on Thursday morning and listen to it on talkSPORT 2 where Adam Catterall, Nick Peet and Danny Roberts will be commentary duty