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Conor McGregor apparently wants to stay at welterweight. McGregor, 31, from Dublin, Ireland, looked amazing in his new weight class against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January. While it was only his third fight in the 170-pound weight class, he scored a stunning first-round stoppage.
Moreover, the notorious Irish superstar seems intent on continuing to compete in the UFC welterweight division in his next fight, and that seems especially true if judging by what the fighter tweeted on Saturday night.
McGregor vs. Diego Sanchez anyone?
McGregor Was Probably Just Trolling After DQ Win
Diego Sanchez won his bout against Michael Pereira on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 167 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. But the Season 1 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” won via disqualification in a bout he seemed to be on his way to losing. The fight was stopped after Pereira landed several hard knees to his opponent’s body before landing an illegal knee while Sanchez was the mat.
The bout was immediately halted. The doctor talked to Sanchez but the fighter said he couldn’t see due to the cut on his head. Sanchez was deemed unable to continue and was declared the winner. While it was a disappointing end to the fight, the 38-year-old Sanchez improved to 3-1 over his last four fights.
Could that kind of win really land Sanchez the McGregor fight? Likely not.
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Much Better Options Abound for McGregor
McGregor isn’t likely to face someone like Sanchez in his next fight. The most likely options for arguably the top superstar in the UFC include facing other top lightweights, likely in the welterweight division that McGregor currently prefers. The most likely candidate is probably Justin Gaethje who isn’t’ currently scheduled against anyone else. Similar to McGregor’s last opponent, Cerrone, and the fighter himself, Gaethje is one of the top 155-pound MMA athletes in the world.
Another option would be the winner of the upcoming UFC 249 headliner between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson in April. Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor via fourth-round submission in the best-selling UFC pay-per-view event in history in October 2018, and the Irishman is likely hoping to recapture the UFC lightweight title sometime soon.
Another possible option would be the winner of the summer showdown between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. While Dana White announced the fight, it hasn’t officially been confirmed yet by the company. Still, both Usman and Masvidal have expressed interest in facing McGregor before, and the chance to win a title in a third division is something McGregor would probably desire.
Additionally, McGregor revealed after UFC 246 he was still interested in boxing. The most likely candidates are Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather defeated McGregor in 2017 via 10th-round stoppage. Meanwhile, Pacquiao recently signed a management deal with McGregor’s management team, Paradigm Sports.
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