Conor McGregor is one of the most famous and mediatic fighters, and everyone awaits his return after spending more than 14 months away from the sport. The Irishman is one of the most popular UFC fighters, and his return to the octagon is highly anticipated. McGregor has not fought since he faced Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout on 18 January 2020 at UFC 246. He won the fight via technical knockout 40 seconds into the first round.
Many names have emerged as possible rivals for Conor McGregor, but nothing is definite yet; below, we analyze the potential fighters who can enter the octagon with the Irishman.
Nate Diaz
Let’s start with one of the most popular options Nate Diaz. He has already had two entertaining and lucrative fights with Conor McGregor, and the idea of a third is appealing to fans.
But sadly, the trilogy likely won’t be completed as Diaz has officially retired from the UFC.
His last fight was against Tony Ferguson. With two minutes remaining in the fourth round, the 37-year-old fighter attacked Ferguson with a guillotine choke, which gave him the victory via submission after an intense battle in the octagon.
At the end of the fight, Díaz offered his last statements in the UFC and assured him that he wants to enter the boxing world.
“All I know is that it has been a love-hate relationship between myself and the UFC the entire time I have been in the organization, but at the end of the day, I love the UFC. I want to get out of the UFC for a minute and show all these fighters how to do well in another sport.”
“McGregor didn’t know how to do it. None of these other fighters know how to do it. I’m going to get in there; I’m going to take another profession and become the best. I’m going to show everyone that I’m the best at it, and I’m going to come back here to win the UFC title, the best title in the world,” Diaz said.
So unless they meet face to face in a boxing match, Diaz is ruled out as a rival for McGregor’s return to the UFC.
Charles Oliveira
Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev on October 22. If he wins and agrees to a fight against McGregor, this would give the Irishman a shot at the lightweight title, something that doesn’t sound so good.
But even if he puts the title at risk against a McGregor who does not deserve such an opportunity, Oliveira will be the biggest beneficiary. Charles has already beaten Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson and having the chance to add McGregor to the roster is priceless.
Also, a clash between these two would be very mediatic and would generate all the bells and whistles expected from the return match for McGregor.
Justin Gaethje
For many experts Gaethje is the ideal opponent for McGregor since not because of his fighting style we would have a fight focused on the exchange of blows and not on takedowns, something that suits the Irishman for his first fight in more than a year.
Facing McGregor would give Gaethje a chance to reinvigorate his career as he has failed to deliver against high-caliber opponents.
This is a good fight for the UFC, which can give McGregor instant validation for a title shot if he wins.
What do the odds say?
Charles Oliveira +200
Nate Diaz +450
Justin Gaethje +600
The truth is that it is quite difficult to predict what decision the UFC will make regarding McGregor’s next rival, on the one hand Oliveira would be a highly mediatic rival and would generate millions of dollars. On the other hand Gaethje is the opponent that makes the most sense in terms of styles, strength and position in the rankings.
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