Top 4 Mixed Martial Artists With the Best Chances to Be Conor McGregor's Next Opponent in the UFC
UFC president Dana White has said that he thinks McGregor 'could return' in September
Though he's still not going to fight at UFC 223, Conor McGregor continues to be in the minds of many MMA fans. While some of them are disappointed that they will not be able to see the "Notorious" one compete this weekend, there was still important news provided recently.
For those who may have missed it, UFC president said during an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto that he thinks McGregor "could return in September."
Obviously, the way White phrased that suggests that nothing is final at point, but it's the best timeframe that's been provided thus far with regards to when the still currently reigning UFC Lightweight Champion may fight inside the Octagon again.
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So, assuming that what White thinks will come true, who then will be the fighter to welcome back McGregor?
Below are four good candidates:
Khabib Nurmagomedov
During that interview linked above, White mentioned that McGregor's next fight could be against one of the two fighters who will be competing in the main event match of the aforementioned UFC 223 Pay-Per-View.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of those fighters and should he emerge triumphant from the upcoming title fight, he will have a great case for being McGregor's next challenger. MMA fans have been eager to see how McGregor can fare against such a high-level wrestler with great size like Nurmagomedov, and there's at least a small chance that they will get their wish later this year.
Max Holloway
If Nurmagomedov isn't the one walking away with the W from UFC 223, then that means Max Holloway has found a way to claim victory despite taking the fight on very short notice.
Holloway has a similarly compelling case to fight McGregor.
Should Holloway defeat Nurmagomedov, he would be a two-division champ just like McGregor was not too long ago, and fans would be delighted to see such decorated competitors go at it. Additionally, Holloway and McGregor have some history. McGregor defeated Holloway back in 2013, but things were different then. Now that they have both developed as fighters, a rematch would be must-see for casual and hardcore MMA fans alike.
Nate Diaz
Because McGregor has not exactly gone by the book in terms of the most recent matches he's taken, there's no guarantee that he will be interested in facing either Nurmagomedov or Holloway for the Lightweight championship that will soon be taken from him.
That's why Nate Diaz makes sense as a potential September opponent for McGregor.
Diaz and McGregor famously took part in two action-packed encounters back in 2016. Diaz won the first match by submission and McGregor took the second fight by decision a few months later. The series is currently even and a rubber match seems like it's going to happen eventually, so why not this September.
Georges St-Pierre
Admittedly, Georges St-Pierre seems like a longshot opponent for McGregor at this point in time, but if the goal for both fighters and the UFC is to create the most buzz and generate the most revenue, then this match is the one to make. St-Pierre and McGregor are among the biggest draws in the UFC's history; now imagine what they could do together.
Even though McGregor's return to the Octagon is still up in the air at this point, what is clear is that he will have quite a few compelling opponent options to choose from once he is ready to fight again.
