When Is Conor Mcgregor Going to Fight Again?
Ranking the 4 Best Opponents for Conor McGregor'southward Side by side Fight
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Information technology's hard to believe, just it'south already been over 150 days since Conor McGregor suffered a broken leg in a first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
The Irishman is well on his way to recovery and already seems to be formulating comeback plans, telling his Twitter followers recently that he expects to be back to MMA sparring in April and back in the Octagon before long afterward.
UFC President Dana White has also contributed to the growing McGregor improvement buzz, shedding some light on the onetime ii-segmentation champion'southward head infinite on a recent episode of The Jim Rome Podcast.
"He'southward chomping at the scrap to become dorsum in there and compete again," White said. "For him to start training again in April is probably about right."
With all the signs seemingly pointing to another McGregor fight in 2022, the large question is who he'll exist standing across the cage from.
His roughshod loss to Poirier—his second in a row to the American—volition probably go on him out of the lightweight title chat for the moment, just he nonetheless has plenty of exciting options.
Continue scrolling for the v fights we similar best for the Irishman.
Nate Diaz
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This volition probably always be the biggest fight bachelor for McGregor. Non simply is Nate Diaz one of the few fighters on the UFC roster who tin come up shut to the Irishman in terms of star power, but they're likewise tied 1-1 beyond two previous fights.
The pair offset met in March 2016, when Diaz replaced Rafael dos Anjos on xi days' discover. The Stockton, California native ended upwards handing McGregor his outset loss in the Octagon, winning the fight by 2nd-round submission.
They met again five months after when the Irishman evened the score, scraping past Diaz with a bulk decision win in one of the best fights in UFC history.
Today, with McGregor riding back-to-dorsum losses to Poirier and Diaz coming upward short against Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal in his last two, the trilogy arguably makes more sense than e'er. The UFC matchmakers have seemingly been saving information technology for a rainy mean solar day, and it doesn't get any bigger than this 1.
McGregor's longtime coach, John Kavanagh, suggested as much during a contempo interview with The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Fighting).
"I'll be honest, the Nate Diaz trilogy is very, very tempting," he said. "It'south a fight that gives me nightmares. The human doesn't end coming frontwards, whether it'due south 3 rounds or five rounds, but it'south an intriguing fight. And then that ane is definitely very interesting."
Tony Ferguson
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Diaz isn't the only opponent Kavanagh likes for McGregor's next fight. The coach also expressed involvement in a fight with onetime interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
"The Tony Ferguson one—it never happened. It was talked most a lot," he said. "And Tony even so has, I believe, a lot to offer the game. He'due south a very unorthodox striker, grappler. I think the buildup would be fun for the fans."
As Kavanagh stated, McGregor and Ferguson have never shared the Octagon, which is pretty surprising considering their overlapping time near the top of the UFC lightweight sectionalization.
In a perfect globe, we would have seen them fight in 2017, when the Irish star even so held the undisputed lightweight title and Ferguson had the interim title.
That being said, information technology still makes plenty of sense today, primarily because both fighters have fallen on difficult times. Ferguson is enduring an even rougher patch than McGregor, with consecutive losses to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush in his rear-view.
Both lightweight legends are in dire need of a win. Pit them against each other on a summer pay-per-view, and see if either can prove they notwithstanding vest among the division'due south top fighters.
Dustin Poirier
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Dustin Poirier and McGregor have fought 3 times before. The Irishman won their start fight, a 2014 featherweight bout, by get-go-round knockout, but he lost the next two at lightweight by stoppage.
At this betoken, many people seem to consider their rivalry settled in Poirier'south favor. McGregor and his legions of fans, of class, beg to differ.
After his third fight Poirier, McGregor was adamant that the loss was a fluke, and he made it clear he wants a fourth bout with the Louisiana native. And because he remains the biggest star in MMA history, the UFC will at least hear him out.
Poirier, of course, will demand to sign on for that to happen. While he'south currently preoccupied with a lightweight title shot against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 this weekend, he's fabricated information technology clear his No. 1 priority will ever be providing for his family.
If the right offer is made, he can surely be convinced to fight McGregor once again. That volition seem all the more than probable if he comes up short confronting Oliveira this weekend.
Max Holloway
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McGregor and Max Holloway don't have the history the Irishman has with Nate Diaz or Dustin Poirier, but they take fought before.
They met in the featherweight division in 2014 when the Irishman won by unanimous decision. The contest was both conclusive and unspectacular, which would usually make a sequel unnecessary.
What makes a rematch compelling is what both men have done since then, though.
McGregor became the first fighter in history to hold titles in two weight classes meantime, winning the featherweight and lightweight straps. Holloway, who'due south riding dazzling wins over Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar, became 1 of nigh dominant champions in featherweight history.
Both men have cemented their place among the best fighters of all time, and that's reason enough to set the rematch.
Even so the rematch is all the more interesting because McGregor and Holloway are in the same unusual position: Neither homo has a UFC title, simply they're both the biggest star in their weight class (Holloway at featherweight, and McGregor at lightweight).
The fight would be a blockbuster and a classic reminder that there'south a lot more to MMA than championship fights. And while it's impossible to say who would win, information technology would kick the best-boxer-in-MMA debate into overdrive.
Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2951184-ranking-the-4-best-opponents-for-conor-mcgregors-next-fight
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