Jorge Masvidal and Khabib Nurmagomedov are leading the race to fight Conor McGregor next after the UFC superstar’s winning return to the octagon.
McGregor has the pick of a host of big names after stopping Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in Las Vegas on Saturday night and could even make a detour into boxing again after Floyd Mayweather stoked speculation about a rematch.
If McGregor is to stick with MMA, it is unclear if he will continue at welterweight or drop back down to lightweight to chase a rematch with 155lbs champion Nurmagomedov.
Here, Metro.co.uk goes through the options for McGregor and who might be the most likely opponent.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Dana White said post-fight that the right fight to make for McGregor was the Nurmagomedov rematch. The UFC president is keen to direct the Irishman back down to 155lbs considering the difficulties McGregor would face at welterweight. The main obstacle in the way for this fight is the Russian himself. Nurmagomedov fights Tony Ferguson in April so must defend his title then and McGregor will not want to wait around for the fight. Nurmagomedov has repeatedly said McGregor must earn rematch and it appears as though fight fans might have to wait until early 2021 for the second version of this grudge match.
Tony Ferguson
It is possible Ferguson will be the champion by the time McGregor fights again. McGregor is expected to fight in the summer and has even suggested he wants to compete three times in 2020. If Ferguson becomes lightweight champion by dethroning Nurmagomedov, then he will shoot to the top of McGregor’s hitlist. The pair have a long-running rivalry and would surely deliver a thrilling barnburner. Ferguson’s eligibility as an opponent for McGregor hingers on how he performs against Nurmagomedov in New York in April.
Jorge Masvidal
The ‘Baddest Motherfucker’ title holder was the frontrunner to face McGregor before fight night, but appears to have fallen down the pecking order in the wake of IFC 246. Masvidal is the biggest name in the UFC, second only to McGregor, after a remarkable 2019 in which he finished Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz. The Masvidal fight has an expiry date with the American’s stock sure to plummet if he puts off a clash with McGregor and were to lose his next bout. Gamebred perhaps is the option that makes the most sense for McGregor considering Nurmagomedov is unlikely to be available until the end of 2020 at the earliest.
Floyd Mayweather
Mayweather caused a stir on social media post-fight by releasing a rematch poster featuring him and McGregor. It appears the undefeated boxing legend is open to a rematch with McGregor, but it is unclear how serious the American is about fighting again. Mayweather poured cold water on the excitement generated by his Instagram post by posting almost the exact same poster with him and Nurmagomedov soon after the McGregor one.
Justin Gaethje
Top lightweight contender Justin Gaethje reacted furiously to McGregor snubbing him for his comeback fight. McGregor has promised to fight the talented American, who has a habit of being involved in exhilarating bouts. Were the UFC to decide to hold off an rematch with Nurmagomedov or a big-money clash with Masvidal, Gaethje would be the obvious man to step in and keep McGregor ticking over, even if it is a dangerous fight to take.
Kamaru Usman
Even though McGregor harbours ambitions to become a three-weight champion in the UFC, it is unlikely he will step up to that challenge with Kamaru Usman the current title holder. Usman is a formidable wrestler and gigantic welterweight and is a downright terrible stylistic match-up for McGregor. Usman is open to a clash with McGregor, but also has a long line of welterweight contenders waiting to step up to challenge him for his belt.
Nate Diaz
The trilogy fight with Nate Diaz has long been talked about. McGregor promised after he won their epic rematch in 2016 that he would give Diaz a third fight. With one wins apiece, Diaz represents a massive fight that can be made virtually at any time for McGregor and the UFC. Diaz’s tweets after the knockout of Cerrone will only have increased interest in his rematch with McGregor. It could also be staged at welterweight, considering the first two fights were at 170lbs.
Manny Pacquiao
McGregor has spoken about his desire to get back into boxing and floated Manny Pacquiao as a potential opponent. The 41-year-old holds the WBA (Super) welterweight title, and McGregor used the UFC 246 build-up to gauge interest in a potential match-up. However, the savvy McGregor surely would have picked up on a lack of appetite from fans to see him fight Pacquiao, with his supporters keen to see him focus on MMA rather than dip back into the boxing world.
MORE: Why is UFC star Conor McGregor fighting at welterweight?
