Getty UFC's Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh seemingly teased fans with the wild idea of seeing his fighter make the trek across the pond from Ireland to take UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s spot at UFC 249 next month in the U.S. against top-rated contender Tony Ferguson.
“Maybe there’s a third option,” Kavanagh tweeted to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in response to a poll about what Tony Ferguson should do next.
The longtime owner of Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, Kavanagh, has been with McGregor since the beginning of his career. While McGregor’s coach is likely just having a little bit of fun on social media, the idea of McGregor facing Ferguson at UFC 249 is a tantalizing proposition.
Ferguson is ranked the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds. McGregor is No. 3.
Moreover, Kavanagh kept on with the mischief later in the day. The coach posted pictures of his upcoming calendar with April 18 marked as if one of his fighters, presumedly McGregor, would be in action that day.
UFC 249 is scheduled for April 18. Is McGregor on his way to taking Nurmagomedov’s place at the top of the card against Ferguson?
On top of that, when asked about that date being marked on the picture of the calendar he tweeted, Kavanagh asked his followers to just ignore that post. No, Kavanagh didn’t just delete the picture. He left it there for the world to see.
Ugh it’s a looong time since I had an empty month 😭😭
“I meant to delete that before posting,” Kavanagh said. “Please just ignore it. I’d appreciate if you didn’t share it, thank you.”
Regardless, UFC 249 still needs a main event. Heck, UFC 249 still needs a location for that matter. But with tons of other UFC stars already angling for the gig next month, it isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility that McGregor would potentially consider making such a move.
How he’d get from Ireland to the U.S. during the global coronavirus pandemic is another story altogether.
Another big part of the story would be how McGregor could legitimately take the fight after having basically become the celebrity mouthpiece for health officials in Ireland that are asking people in the country to self-quarantine to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Finally, Kavanagh’s social media posts were made way too close to April 1 for that fact to be ignored.
Was McGregor’s longtime coach just having a little early April Fool’s Day fun?
Or is there really a chance McGregor could somehow make his way to the U.S. on April 18 to take on Ferguson in a surprise superfight?
Stay tuned to Heavy for more on this story as it develops.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson