5 reasons why Conor McGregor needs a tune-up fight in his return to the UFC
While it may be a number of months away yet, 2023 is very likely to see the return of the UFC’s biggest star, former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
Numerous possible opponents have been mooted for Conor McGregor’s return bout, but does ‘The Notorious’ actually need a tune-up fight first?
While the Irishman remains remarkably confident, he should definitely consider facing off with a lower-level opponent before stepping into the octagon with an elite foe.
Here are five reasons why Conor McGregor needs a tune-up fight in his return to the UFC.
#5. Conor McGregor is coming off a serious injury and may not be 100%
The last time we saw Conor McGregor fight in the UFC was back in the summer of 2021. ‘The Notorious’ suffered a devastating loss to Dustin Poirier, but more importantly, that loss came because of a terrible injury.
McGregor saw his lower left tibia snap during the bout, becoming one of just a handful of fighters in UFC history to suffer a bad leg break in the octagon. The Irishman left the arena on a stretcher and unsurprisingly has not returned since.
Conor McGregor was taken out on a stretcher after suffering a leg injury at #UFC264 https://t.co/eQe9fa09YJ
Despite ‘The Notorious’ remaining bullish on social media, then, the fact is that he may never fully recover from this injury. It’s something he’s admitted himself before, suggesting that the damage to the limb began back in 2016 during his fights with Nate Diaz.
With that considered, both McGregor and the UFC would be crazy to throw him in with an elite-level opponent upon his likely return next year.
Even if he appears to be in good shape, it’s hard to imagine him being at his best in his first fight back. That could be disastrous if he’s matched with someone as dangerous as Jorge Masvidal or Michael Chandler.
Instead, it’d be much smarter for him to face a lower-ranked opponent first, in order for him to test out his surgically-repaired leg and allow him to get back to his best in slower steps.
#4. Conor McGregor may need to acclimatise to a new weight class
In recent months, most of Conor McGregor’s social media posts have detailed his weight and muscle gain. While his claims of a move to 185 pounds might be tongue-in-cheek, it’s definitely clear that the Irishman is far bigger than he’s ever been before.
The nighty nights. twitter.com/vandalsportufc…
This begs the question, will ‘The Notorious’ even be able to return to lightweight, which has been his preferred weight class in recent years? Many rumors have suggested that a fight with Michael Chandler could mark his comeback, but it’s questionable whether ‘Iron Mike’ will want to move up to 170 pounds.
If McGregor does intend to come back as a welterweight, then it seems highly unfair for the UFC to match him with a top-ranked foe like Kamaru Usman, Khamzat Chimaev or even Gilbert Burns.
‘The Notorious’ has only ever fought at 170 pounds in the octagon on three occasions before, and all three of those bouts came against fighters also moving up from lightweight in the form of Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone.
Only time will tell whether McGregor’s move up to 170 pounds is genuine or not, but assuming it is, then he’ll need time to acclimatise to his new weight class. Therefore, like other fighters who switched weight classes in the past, he ought to be offered a tune-up bout first.
There are plenty of aging, lower-ranked opponents for him at 170 pounds, with the likes of Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler instantly coming to mind. Therefore, it’d be smarter for McGregor to face one of them first, rather than the monsters that populate the top 10.
#3. Conor McGregor will draw big money against any opponent
The argument against Conor McGregor facing a lower-level opponent in a tune-up bout upon his return largely centers on his status as the UFC’s biggest star.
In the eyes of some fans, there’s no point in wasting McGregor in anything but a massive fight, particularly as he’s only competed sporadically in recent years. After all, there are plenty of other big stars who would definitely make for a good match against the Irishman.
However, ‘The Notorious’ should not be compared to other big UFC stars of the past, even huge draws like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey. The Irishman has essentially transcended the sport of MMA, to the point where any fight involving him instantly becomes a big deal.
In other words, the UFC could probably match McGregor against a newly-signed, unknown fighter, and the Irishman’s star power would still ensure that the fight would draw millions on pay-per-view.
Sure, a fight like McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal would probably draw a better number on pay-per-view than McGregor vs. Bryan Barberena, for instance, but the latter bout might still crack a million buys.
More importantly, a win for McGregor in such a tune-up fight would almost certainly set him up for bigger things down the line – meaning more money for the UFC overall. In that sense, a tune-up fight ought to be a no-brainer.
#2. Conor McGregor could do with a boost in confidence
Conor McGregor might appear to be brimming with confidence if you go by his social media posts, but the truth might be a little different.
Obviously, it’s impossible for anyone to read the Irishman’s mind, but it definitely wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s lacking in self-belief right now. After all, his last two trips to the octagon saw him suffer a pair of terrible losses to Dustin Poirier.
DUSTIN POIRIER KNOCKS OUT MCGREGOR 🤯
#UFC257 https://t.co/T46dcJ7iz2
‘The Notorious’ has always been a fighter who relies hugely on his own confidence and self-belief to deliver his best performances. What’s the best way for him to regain some of that potentially lost confidence? Winning in the octagon, of course.
Sure, at his best, McGregor could be capable of beating a top-level opponent like Michael Chandler or Jorge Masvidal. However, if he were to come in lacking in confidence, then he’d definitely stand less chance against them.
Against a lower-level opponent, though, even a less confident McGregor would be more likely to win. Given that he hasn’t tasted victory since January 2020, even a win over an unranked foe would mean a lot to the Irishman right now.
That tune-up victory, then, could well lead him to regain the mojo he appeared to have lost in his fights with Poirier – and could allow him to recapture his best form, something we haven’t seen in some years.
#1. Conor McGregor desperately needs a win to remain credible
There’s no denying the idea that Conor McGregor could do with a win inside the octagon to boost his confidence. The other reason why he desperately needs to taste victory right now is for his own credibility, which is as important to the UFC as it is to the Irishman himself.
At his peak, ‘The Notorious’ was undoubtedly a great fighter. After all, he became the first man in over a decade to defeat Jose Aldo, and was the UFC’s first double champion when he claimed lightweight gold from Eddie Alvarez.
However, while he remains the promotion’s most bankable star, his win over Alvarez came back in November 2016, over six years ago. His only victory since then came in January 2020 when he stopped Donald Cerrone.
@TheNotoriousMMA CLOSES THE SHOW EARLY! WOW! #UFC246HE. IS. BACK.
🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA CLOSES THE SHOW EARLY! WOW! #UFC246 https://t.co/0B0NXbi6pY
In the meantime, he’s suffered a trio of defeats, falling to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier on two occasions. While both Nurmagomedov and Poirier were great fighters when they beat the Irishman, the fact is that McGregor’s credibility took a knock with the losses.
Right now, to many fans, ‘The Notorious’ has become better-known for his wild social media rants than his actual fighting ability. The fact that the UFC only removed him from their lightweight rankings last month was actually staggering.
Therefore, it’s fair to say that if he wants to become credible as a fighter again, McGregor absolutely needs to win his comeback fight. If he were to lose, then it’d be very hard for the fans to take him seriously, particularly those who didn’t see his rise to the top firsthand.
That loss of credibility might be enough to wreck McGregor’s status as a drawing card altogether, something that’d be disastrous for both him and the UFC.
It only makes sense, then, to give him a fight he’s almost certain to win in his return to action next year. After all, it’s the only way for ‘The Notorious’ to restore his lost credibility.