4 Potential Opponents For Conor McGregor's Next Fight
By Bobby Burack
Conor McGregor returned to the octagon last night in dominant fashion, TKO-ing Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in 40 seconds. Soon after his fans came back to reality, the discussion transitioned to his next fight. Here is a look at the four best options for McGregor:
Jorge Masvidal
A brawl with Masvidal is the most exciting matchup that can take place inside the octagon right now. The first step is complete after McGregor ignited the sport yet again Saturday night. While their star power isn't comparable, Masvidal became the sport's biggest draw in McGregor's absence. The UFC is at its best when the build-up is WWE-like, and this is the closest we would get to that. Sure, there is a concern that Masvidal is too big, but that isn't stopping anyone from dreaming about this fight coming to fruition.
Nate Diaz
Diaz had a lot to say after McGregor's win last night, and nobody should want "The Notorious" more than him. Trilogy fights make combat sports great and this 1-1 rivalry is in desperate need of a winner. The second bout between Diaz and McGregor was the pinnacle of MMA and invaluable to the sport's growth. This wouldn't be The Godfather Part III.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
A rematch with Nurmagomedov is the fight to be made in the eyes of UFC president Dana White. His preference for that fight doesn't come as a surprise as the first one was the UFC's highest-selling pay-per-view, with 2.4 million buys. But it was also the most embarrassing night of McGregor's legendary career. He was thumped, demoralized and forced into a submission loss at the hands of Nurmagomedov. We just got McGregor back, we don't need this fight quite yet.
Floyd Mayweather
Yes, this could be in the cards. McGregor getting back into the boxing ring against Mayweather is a possibility, if only because it's where the most money can be made for all parties involved. Mayweather -- who won the first matchup -- says he's returning to the ring in 2020 and is teasing another clash with McGregor on Instagram. I wouldn't bet on this taking place again, but nobody believed the first one would happen. It did, and it sold 4.3 million pay-per-views in the United States.