5 ONE Championship strikers who could go toe-to-toe with Conor McGregor
What has 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor been up to as of late? Aside from ballooning to 190 pounds while earning more dollars than the entire UFC roster combined, pretty much the usual.
His social media presence is still rife with a myriad of things, ranging from fighter callouts, interacting with his fans and promoting his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey. All while earning enough money to last him 10 lifetimes.
Before a feed at The Black Forge.
After a feed at The Black Forge.
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The 2021 Forbes' highest paid athlete has had a very productive 2021 as far as income is concerned. With two appearances and a little over seven minutes inside the octagon, both of which were stoppage losses, McGregor earned an unbelievable $180 million.
Much of the Irish megastar's earnings, however, came from his ultra-popular Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and a select few endorsements.
There's virtually nothing more that can be said about MMA's most transcendent star that hasn't been said already. McGregor's accomplishments, mytique and hype-generating appeal have turned him into a household name bigger than the sport itself.
The question now, of course, is what's next for McGregor? Will we see him fight again in 2022 after suffering two knockout losses in 2021? You bet your a*s we will. As long as he can still throw a punch, the UFC will always sell Conor McGregor fights 'til the end of time.
Is 2022 the year we see Conor McGregor go against the country of Brazil for a third time? https://t.co/2Ry3lylIY2
The more important question now is who is Conor McGregor fighting? There's a possible fourth fight with recent rival Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier or a trilogy bout with arguably his greatest foe Nate Diaz. Maybe even an immediate title bout against lightweight king Charles Oliveira is ont he cards, despite it making zero sense.
Speaking of fights that make little sense, let's take off our sensible hats for a minute and consider bouts the Irishman could take outside the UFC, if such things are still possible today. We're looking at ONE Championship.
Yes, Bellator and PFL have been making waves as of late but not as resounding as the Asian organization. We know that ONE's CEO Chatri Sityodtong has publicly said that he wouldn't sign Conor McGregor even if he's a free agent. With that said, we're just here to speculate on the 'what if' scenarios.
Today we list down five good ONE Championship matchups for 'The Notorious' if he were to ever sign with the promotion. In an alternate reality, that is. Let's get on with the list.
#5. Conor McGregor vs. Timofey Nastyukhin
Let's start with a fighter who has something in common with the Irish superstar. ONE's lightweight killing machine, the Russian berzerker Timofey Nastyukhin, famously knocked out one of McGregor's biggest foes, Eddie Alvarez.
The stocky slugger from Russia arguably outdid 'The Notorious' by dispatching Alvarez in less than a round, whereas McGregor did it in two. Nastyukhin is the type of fighter the Irishman loves to pick apart.
Nastyukhin swings almost always from the hip and intends to remove you from your senses with every blow. Because of this, the lightweight standout is quite hittable. Just make sure he doesn't get to hit you back. The man has the power to put anybody away in an instant.
With size and power on Nastyukhin's side, while Conor has speed, timing and technique, this bout has fireworks written all over it.