Three potential fights for Conor McGregor if he ends UFC retirement in 2020
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor announced his ''retirement'' last month, but the Irishman has hung up the gloves on more than one occasion already throughout his career.
Conor McGregor, who turns 32-years-old later this month, last fought at UFC 246 where he quickly dispatched of former title challenger Donald Cerrone inside 40 seconds.
McGregor's rise to the top of the sport came when he won the UFC featherweight title against Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds in December 2015. He became the first-ever fighter to hold two divisional world titles simultaneously when he stopped Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 to win the lightweight title.
Who should Conor McGregor fight if he were to make another UFC comeback later this year?
Conor McGregor announcing his retirement surprised everybody within the sport. He just returned after a long lay off after his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in late 2018 with the over Cerrone, and he planned to fight two more times in 2020.
The current lightweight division is red hot right now. Khabib Nurmagomedov remains the champion in the division, but the contenders following him are all building momentum and are within touching distance of a shot at Nurmagomedov. A lot of these fighters would be the sort of opponents that Conor McGregor would draw a lot of attraction from the public if he were to return.
The winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov - Justin Gaethje
A UFC lightweight title bout between Nurmagomedov and Gaethje seems to be the only logical fight to make next. Nurmagomedov was scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson yet again at UFC 249, but after the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, the Russian pulled out of the fight for safety measured.
Gaethje decided to step in and fight Ferguson, however, the event was canceled and was later rescheduled for May 9th. Gaethje dominated every round and stopped Ferguson in the 5th round.
Conor McGregor could sit out and wait to see how that fight plays out before returning and fighting the winner in the fall.
Tony Ferguson
One of the fights that would be guaranteed to do extremely well on pay-per-view, Ferguson is one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the sport right now. Although he is coming off the back off the defeat to Gaethje, he is still one of the hottest contenders in the 155Ib weight class. If anybody in the division deserves a big payday against Conor McGregor, Ferguson fits the bill due to his longevity at the top of the division.
Both Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson have had numerous exchanges over the last few years about a potential fight, and it's one that would enthrall the fans.
Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor and Poirier have already met each other in the octagon once before. At UFC 178, McGregor dominated and stopped Poirier at featherweight in the first round.
A lot has happened since that fight, Poirier has established himself as one of the most dangerous contenders in the lightweight division. He holds victories over Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, and Eddie Alvarez and his only defeat in the division were in his bid to win the lightweight title against Khabib Nurmagomedov last Autumn.
Poirier rebounded from the defeat and is coming off the back of a win over Dan Hooker last month. The win means Poirier is once against in position to fight a top-five opponent.
Although Conor McGregor hasn't won a fight in the division since his win over Eddie Alvarez, his name and drawing power will get him any fight he desires. A rematch against Poirier would be a fight that fans would be eager to see how it plays out with the improved version of Poirier in his prime now, and McGregor being inactive. It could be a very different story from their meeting in 2014.