Even though Conor McGregor hasn’t competed in the Octagon in 14 months, his name is frequently mentioned in MMA discussions. As the time for the famous Irishman’s recovery from a broken leg approaches, rumors are swirling about who might be the next to share the most intense limelight with McGregor.
Nate Diaz, who met with McGregor twice and earned money from them, seems to be out of the race. Diaz recently terminated his UFC contract and declared his intention to take on other challenges.
This week, Floyd Mayweather said that he is arranging another boxing battle with McGregor for 2023 after their highly-publicized contest in 2017. Who are you negotiating with? Because of his contract with the UFC, McGregor is eager to return to the Octagon, where Mayweather would not dare to compete. Additionally, McGregor uploaded a photo of himself striking Mayweather to Instagram along with the hashtag “#not interested.”
Who is left for McGregor, then? Will UFC matchmakers strive to book the most lucrative fight possible or will they try to get McGregor back on track with a victory? Will the UFC put him in a championship match to go for the win?
Here are some ideas put forth by the MMA staff at ESPN.
Even if Charles Oliveira prevails or fails against Islam Makhachev on October 22, he ought to face Oliveira next. Yes, I am aware that if Oliveira prevails, it will imply that I am pushing for McGregor to be given a shot at the lightweight championship. And what about that? I can deal with it.
McGregor obviously doesn’t deserve to compete for the title, but this situation has nothing to do with what McGregor deserves. It all comes down to what Oliveira merits. If Oliveira defeats Makhachev in Abu Dhabi, he will have won his last five fights against Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Tony Ferguson. That is incredibly amazing.
When it comes to these subjects, I tend to be a purist. I nearly always vote for credibility and rankings over showmanship and pay-per-view purchases. I can’t, however, pretend that I would be angry if Oliveira were to profit from a McGregor bout.
And the point would still be valid even if he lost Makhachev. Oliveira is the only person now deserving of the money associated with a McGregor bout in MMA. Over the past few years, he has been one of the sport’s most exciting and determined athletes.