Getty Joe Rogan & Conor McGregor
Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan recently warned Conor McGregor about pursuing a fight with 170-pound king Kamaru Usman next.
The former two-division UFC champion appears poised to make his MMA return. McGregor hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since snapping his shin at UFC 264 last July against Dustin Poirier. But, nine months later and McGregor has gotten back to martial arts training, in some capacity.
“Notorious” frequently posts pictures and videos via Instagram of himself boxing, and last month he provided an update from his doctor, who said: “everything was back on track.”
McGregor has hinted about wanting to return to the UFC as early as July, and in a recent interview with The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis, Notorious said he had his sights set on challenging Usman for the welterweight belt.
“I believe that’s the fight to make,” McGregor said in March. “I believe myself versus Usman for the 170-pound title for my comeback fight is the one I’m eyeballing at the minute. Now, I haven’t really said that to anyone, to be honest. I’ve only been thinking that the last couple days.”
Rogan Thinks McGregor Should Pursue a Tune-Up Fight
Rogan was the most recent guest on the “Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson” podcast, and during it, he spoke about McGregor’s potential 170-pound quest. In short, Rogan thinks it’s best for McGregor to take on an easier task than Usman for his comeback fight.
Usman is the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, as per the UFC’s official rankings, and he’s beaten every 170 pounder that’s faced off against him in the promotion.
“If Conor wants the most chance of success, I would say fight a guy who is a little below championship-level,” Rogan said via Sportskeeda.com. “Maybe like a guy on the come-up, who Conor has an advantage over, but is still a competitive fight. Give him a test. But don’t put him in there right away with Usman.”
Rogan also pointed out that it’s commonplace in boxing for notable names to receive tune-up fights after they come off a long layoff.
“I think, honestly, when boxers come back from a long layoff and they come back from a loss, one thing that boxers do that’s smart is they have a tune-up fight. I think there’s a reason why they’ve been using tune-up fights forever like astute managers,” Rogan continued. “They know you got to knock the dust off and you’ll be better in the next performance.”
McGregor Doesn’t Want to Fight at 155 Pounds, Doesn’t View Usman as Dangerous
Notorious has fought his last two fights at lightweight, and it appears McGregor has no intention to drop back down to 155 pounds. Instead, he wants to receive an immediate-title fight against Usman, who he views as a minimal threat.
“I got myself down to a lightweight frame, McGregor said to Willis. “But, I’m big now. I feel big, I feel strong, I feel healthy. You know, I’ve got good energy. I’m coming back after a gruesome injury.
“I don’t want to deplete myself. There’s no need to deplete myself. And I feel confident against Usman. Jab happy, sloppy, orthodox wrestler with no submissions whatsoever. What’s he going to do? Where’s the danger here? I don’t see a danger with him. His ground and pound isn’t strong. Plus, he’s on the older side.”