MMA
Who’s next for Conor McGregor?
After Saturday night, UFC fans will be desperately waiting for Conor McGregor news to see who he will be fighting next.
The Notorious returned to the octagon and wreaked havoc against Donald Cerrone, dispatching him in 40 seconds at UFC 246. After such a perfect comeback, we take a look at who could be in line to fight McGregor next?
Khabib Nurmagomedov
This is the obvious choice that no doubt both Dana White and McGregor will be aiming for. Before his recent bout with Cerrone, McGregor’s Instagram was plastered with images of the Irishman in what could be described as the best shape of his life. He looked in a better place physically than when he stepped into the ring against Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov destroyed McGregor in their last bout, to the point where the Irishman had to tap out before chaos ensued in a post-match brawl. There was so much said in the build-up to the fight, so much bad blood, that it’s clear the pair still have unfinished business.
Nurmagomedov has entertained the potential rematch, stating that he had to have “nine or ten fights” and if Conor was to win “ten fights in a row, then that’s completely possible.” However, Nurmagomedov has a fight lined up with Tony Ferguson in which he is 4/9 favourite.
It may not be the fight that will happen straight away, but it’s the big one to look forward to, and Nurmagomedov is priced at 3/10 if the rematch happens before the end of the year with McGregor at 12/5.
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal is the closest personality to the old Conor McGregor right now. He currently holds the record for the quickest knockout in UFC history following his flying knee that stunned opponent Ben Askren in five seconds. He’s also coming off the back of a fantastic 2019 where he beat Nate Diaz, who McGregor has lost to in the past, as well as Darren Till.
Masvidal tried getting into the head of The Notorious by turning up to UFC 246 in the same robe McGregor wore before his match with Floyd Mayweather. McGregor labelled Masvidal “weird” even comparing him to the “old grannies in Ireland.”
This would be an interesting bout with two of the biggest personalities in UFC coming together. If it were to take place, the current odds suggest that Masvidal will go into it favourite at 4/7 with McGregor 13/10.
Nate Diaz
With the score currently tied at 1-1, the Diaz-McGregor feud is not yet over. Although this may not be in the immediate future, it’s a fight that UFC fans want to see, and a fight that both fighters will more than likely be willing to take.
Nate Diaz has controversially dipped in and out of UFC ‘retirement’ but has recently stated that he is ready to fight “today.” Being one of the first to criticise the Irishman’s victory, a rematch is certainly still on the cards. McGregor would go into this heavy favourite priced at 2/5 to end the trilogy triumphant.
Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman is the current UFC welterweight champion. His name has been in the mix to take on McGregor and he has even claimed that the Irishman has been avoiding him. He’s followed this by stating that he’d “humble” McGregor, even more so than Nurmagomedov did.
Usman’s Twitter was hacked this weekend with profanities being published about McGregor and his wife, and when told, McGregor was sceptical as to whether it was truly hacked or not. This would be a tasty clash.
Floyd Mayweather
Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather. The biggest boxing fight that’s ever happened to date? Could we see a rematch? Straight after McGregor’s comeback win on Saturday, Mayweather posted on his social media hinting out that a rematch could happen in 2020. McGregor has previously stated that he would welcome a rematch with Mayweather.
Fans, on the other hand, haven’t seemed too keen with many posting on social media that they would rather have McGregor focus on his MMA career instead of chasing the big money in boxing. It appears that this fight would only be for McGregor’s net worth, and not for his fighting career.
The big question when the fight finished the first time around was whether Mayweather would cross over into the MMA world to fight McGregor. If he were to, McGregor is the obvious favourite priced at 1/20.
Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao wouldn’t be the first name on fans’ lips to be next to fight McGregor, but after a successful payday against Mayweather in his first professional boxing match, McGregor could certainly take this route at some point in the future. Pacquiao called out McGregor over the weekend, inviting him to a “real fight.”
The Filipino fighter was named fighter of the decade in the 2000s, and despite being 10 years’ McGregor’s senior, he thinks he still has what it takes to come out on top. To no surprise McGregor would go into his second professional boxing bout as the 13/2 underdog, with Pacquiao 1/14 favourite.
The big draw to this fight would be the numbers. McGregor has stated that he wants at least three fights in UFC first, but if a huge payday is around the corner, those plans could soon change.
