3 legitimate reasons that Conor McGregor should get a UFC lightweight title fight

Conor McGregor was surprised by Dustin Poirier in their rematch at UFC 257. A heavy first pick over The Diamond, The Notorious One could not translate his favoritism into a win.

But even with the second loss in his three last fights, Conor McGregor is still being considered one of the most suitable contenders for the UFC Lightweight title fight - a belt that he held in the past.

The No.2 ranked Lightweight, Justin Gaethje, already expressed his discontentment in case Conor McGregor gets yet another title shot even after being defeated by Poirier. The Irishman fought Khabib Nurmagomedov for the belt in 2018.

Despite his latest setback, why would the UFC deem Conor McGregor as a fair contender for the title after such a prolonged time of inactivity and not so positive results in the octagon? Here are three reasons that could make the promotion pick him as their first choice.

#1 Conor McGregor is a fan favorite

The #UFC257 return of @TheNotoriousMMA has broken another record. A simple video of him riding a bike prior to the Aldo fight is now the most watched video of all time on the @UFC Instagram, passing Buckley's "greatest KO of all time" video. 18 million views & growing rapidly. pic.twitter.com/RswCOAkk0I
— Don't count the days, make the days count. - Ali (@AliBomaye1974__) December 7, 2020

Conor McGregor is one of the most famous fighters in MMA history. He has broken record after record on pay-per-view sales, besides being the most followed fighter in all of the social media platforms where he has an account.

The Notorious One is also the best-paid combat sports athlete only after boxing legend Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Conor McGregor's popularity exceeds that of UFC, making him a notable name even without the promotion's support.

#2 Conor McGregor fighting for the title is good for business

Dana White told Khabib to imagine the potential pay-per-view sales of a rematch with Conor McGregor, comparing it to #UFC257 (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/4DocBT7A9z
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 23, 2021

Being so famous has its perks. Conor McGregor enjoys a weird position of power over UFC where he can basically pick and choose who and when he will fight.

The promotion needs its biggest name for making money. Matching Conor McGregor against smaller contenders might not be so attractive for the UFC's audience as lining him up for a title fight.

However, his recent poor performances have reequilibrated the dynamics, and it would not be implausible to think that the UFC could put his name a little bit below the standard he got used to being in the last few years.

#3 Conor McGregor's redemption arc

McGregor: "I have to dust it off and come back. And that's what I will do.” #UFC257
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) January 24, 2021

The most sensible reason to accept that Conor McGregor could fight for the Lightweight title even after being defeated by Dustin Poirier is that of his redemption arc.

After beating Poirier in 2014, Conor McGregor grew into the most prominent name in the sport. He became the first UFC fighter ever to hold two belts simultaneously. But such big flights made Conor McGregor lose the reference to the ground.

He became unfocused and arrogant. His coaching team started to worry that he had lost interest in fighting. A wake-up call would come when then-Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov humbled him.

Since the defeat, Conor McGregor has changed. He stopped behaving so cocky and with most of his trash-talking. Many MMA fans and analysts pointed out how respectful Conor McGregor was acting ahead of the rematch with Poirier.

However, this new persona might have caused an unforeseen side effect as many think that Conor McGregor became "too nice" even inside the octagon.

A rematch with Poirier with the Lightweight belt on the line could redeem Conor McGregor from the loss and make him prove that he can be a nice person and a champion at the same time.