Getty Conor McGregor speaks with UFC President Dana White during the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor World Press Tour.
The world awaits the announcement of Conor “Notorious” McGregor’s next opponent. The Irishman made his return to the Octagon at UFC 246 when he dismantled Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in only 40 seconds. The two men fought at welterweight, but McGregor has many options at lightweight as well.
During the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said that he was looking at McGregor potentially competing for the lightweight belt in his next fight. White recently went onto The Jim Rome Show and echoed that sentiment.
During the Super Bowl “Radio Row” media event, Rome asks White, “What’s next for [Notorious]?”
White answers, “Probably the winner of Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and Tony [Ferguson].”
The UFC lightweight champion and the man responsible for Notorious’ last loss, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is scheduled to fight the #1 ranked contender Tony Ferguson on April 18, 2020, at UFC 249.
If the UFC decides to pit McGregor against the winner of that bout, presumably the Irishman will be sitting out until at least July or August. Notorious is planning to fight three times this year, so fighting in the summer shouldn’t affect that. Barring any injuries or unforeseen events, McGregor could get in one more match before the year’s end.
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Dana White Thinks That Notorious Looked “Unbelievable” at UFC 246
During the interview, Rome asked White if McGregor still had that “it” factor, even though he’s made millions, and he may have less of an incentive to “work.”
White says, “He looked unbelievable in this fight. And for people that are saying Cowboy’s shot, Cowboy’s this, Cowboy’s one of the best and one of the baddest to ever do it. He showed up to win that night, and Conor McGregor ran through him like a freight train. McGregor looked better then he’s ever looked, his head’s in the right place, mentally, physically and emotionally he’s ready to roll. And I can’t wait for his next fight.”
Notorious only needed 40 seconds to take out the man who has the most fights in UFC history. During the match, McGregor landed multiple vicious shoulder strikes to Cerrone’s face, as well as a knee and kick to the head. The kick wobbled Cowboy, prompting Notorious to swarm him with punishing blows until the referee called the fight.
Conor McGregor Has a Lot of Options, in MMA and Boxing, for His Next Opponent
Since he got his hand raised at UFC 246, McGregor has been linked to multiple other competitors. McGregor has teased a bout with the winner of Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje.
During the same interview with Jim Rome, White announced a match between Usman and Masvidal, so that fight is effectively off the table for McGregor. A trilogy fight with Diaz is a fight that fans have been clamoring for since their second fight ended at UFC 202. Both fighters are 1-1 against each other, and to many, it seems fitting that they would fight one last time.
Notorious has also spoken about boxing again, and is eyeing a rematch against Floyd Mayweather. He is also interested in boxing Manny Pacquiao and Paulie Malignaggi.
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