5 beatable opponents for Conor McGregor at welterweight
Thanks to the serious leg injury he suffered at UFC 264, Conor McGregor’s UFC return may not be scheduled until at least midway through 2022, but when he does come back, which weight class will he fight in?
Recent pictures that have emerged of a bulked-up Conor McGregor appear to suggest that his future lies at 170 pounds. So, could ‘The Notorious’ megastar find a new lease of life in the UFC as a welterweight?
Conor McGregor has fought at welterweight three times before, going 2-1 against Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone. However, he has yet to complete an extended run in the 170-pound weight class.
That may change in 2022, but is the Irishman actually capable of succeeding at the higher weight? It’s hard to say, but there are at least a handful of beatable opponents for him in the division.
With only realistic foes taken into consideration, then, here are five beatable opponents for Conor McGregor in the UFC at welterweight.
#5. Conor McGregor vs. Matt Brown
When Conor McGregor made his big return to the UFC in early 2020, he did so as a welterweight and was matched with a fading action fighter in the form of Donald Cerrone.
In an unforgettable performance, ‘The Notorious’ quickly destroyed ‘Cowboy’, putting him away with a wild flurry of strikes in under a minute of the first round. The performance suggested that Conor McGregor was back to his best, but the truth may well have been that he simply caught Cerrone on the downswing of his UFC career, as he has not won a fight in the octagon since.
Why is this relevant here? Well, because there’s another fighter who fits a similar bill to Cerrone operating in the UFC welterweight division right now. His name? Matt Brown.
MATT BROWN WITH THE RIGHT HAND FROM HELL! 🔥
💢 @IAmTheImmortal has that POWER! #UFCVegas29 https://t.co/YqZ29s079R
Like Cerrone, Brown has never held UFC gold during his lengthy tenure with the promotion. However, he was a stalwart of the top 10 for a long period a few years back and he’s still a reliable action fighter and a recognizable name.
However, ‘The Immortal’ is definitely past his prime now, as his losses to Carlos Condit and Miguel Baeza showed. More to the point, Brown has never been a truly durable fighter, as his UFC record of 16-6 shows. That means that Conor McGregor’s brutal striking power would definitely give him a good chance of finding a finish in a potential fight between the two.
More importantly, the fact that Brown is actually coming off a win might make this bout even more attractive to the Irishman. That's because he could easily claim to be back to his best with a victory over ‘The Immortal’, despite Brown’s prime years being behind him.