Irish mixed martial artist The Notorious Conor McGregor after defeating Eddie Alvarez in the past UFC tournament as UFC champion in two different weight divisions at the same time: featherweight and lightweight.
What next fight should be organized for him? will pay attention to the 4 most likely and logical rivals for a knockout from Dublin.
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov? This fight for the lightweight champion title clearly makes sense, but will McGregor agree to it?Perhaps Khabib Nurmagomedov is the most deserving of the right to fight against Conor McGregor for the lightweight champion title.
After another dominant victory over Michael Johnson at the UFC 205 in New York, Habib brought his record of appearances in MMA to an impressive 24-0, including 8-0 in the UFC.
So, the most true and logical decision would be to make the battle of Khabib Nurmagomedov against Conor McGregor. Probably, all MMA fans from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and other countries of the post-Soviet space would definitely like to see this fight. If not for one “but.” It's no secret that McGregor, as the main star of the UFC, is privileged to choose his rivals. And, frankly, the fight against Nurmagomedov, to put it mildly, is not the most attractive option, because here the Irish champion has few chances to win, you know, yourself.
2. Tony Ferguson
Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson? Tony Ferguson is one of the best at the moment and one of the most uncomfortable rivals for McGregor. Another fighter who deserves a fight for the champion lightweight belt is no less than Khabib Nurmagomedov, this is Tony Ferguson, who currently has 9 consecutive UFC wins. But then again, master of submissions Ferguson is clearly not the most convenient opponent for McGregor, who for his career in mixed martial arts lost three times - and all three times by submission.
From a sporting point of view, a McGregor fight against Ferguson is an almost obvious solution (like a McGregor fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov - approx.). But from the point of view of business or of Conor himself - everything can be different.
3. Jose Aldo
Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo 2? Maybe it's time for McGregor to finally return to featherweight and defend his belt in a rematch against Jose Aldo? You have not forgotten about Jose Aldo?
The Brazilian fighter currently holds a temporary featherweight champion belt, where McGregor has been holding the championship since last year and where McGregor has not yet held a single belt defense.
So if the leadership does not remove Conor McGregor from one of the two belts, allowing the Irish to keep both belts in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, and decides that it is time for McGregor to defend the title in his featherweight, then the fight against Jose Aldo is obvious decision. But will McGregor return to featherweight?
4. Tyrone Woodley
Conor McGregor vs. Tyrone Woodley? If Conor wants to try to become a champion in three weight categories, then he will have to fight with the power and speed of a mountain of muscles named Tyrone Woodley. And finally, the most, perhaps, the most ambitious, but quite realistic option. This is Conor McGregor’s fight for the third championship belt in his piggy bank - against the current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
From the point of view of sports, this fight clearly makes little sense (after all, McGregor only fought in the welterweight division twice, losing to Nate Diaz in the first fight and having barely won his revenge), but from the point of view of business - do not even doubt this fight McGregor could earn as much as he had not earned yet.
Nurmagomedov, McGregor, Jones, Krylov with Edilov and the UFC tournament in Russia are in the main expectations of 2017.
The year 2016 has become so rich in events that it is not easy to imagine something like this in the coming 2017. A failed 200 anniversary, another scandalous disqualification of the greatest talent of sports - John Jones, the sale of the company to new owners - the champion of two weight and the first New York tournament in history - this is briefly about 2016.
Owning WME-IMG company has to work hard in the new year so that the audience’s interest in the best promotion in the world continues to grow. Of course, guessing what exactly the magnates will come up with is not easy. Most likely, in the coming year, we expect a considerable number of "cash battles". Surely a couple more temporary titles will be played (now they like to give out “paper belts”) in order to artificially raise the significance of some fights / fighters. Most marketing moves of cunning promoters for the year ahead are now difficult to predict. But we will try to consider some already announced high-profile events, plus dream up, using rumors and news from the camp.
In the coming year, we expect a considerable number of so-called "cash battles".
Opening of a new women's division (up to 65 kg.), February 11, 2017.
Unexpected title fight Hill - de Randamy in the category clearly created under Chris Justin, was not immediately explained. At first, the Brazilian herself complained of deadly rallies for performances in the intermediate weight. According to Justin, her body needs rest more than ever. Later, the results of her doping tests came with a “positive” mark. All this suggests that Germain de Randamy is a random contender, a necessary measure. However, the fact that they decided not to postpone the opening of a new weight category, says that the situation of the champion of Invicta FC Justin is solved. Thus, on February 11, we will find out who will become the 11th champion, and by the end of the year, the main star of the division, Christiana Justin, will probably meet with the winner of the Holly Holm – Germain de Randamy pair.
New middleweight champion, first quarter of 2017.
Even with great respect for Michael Bisping and the legacy of this bright veteran, it is foolish to deny that the Earl became the middleweight champion as a result of great luck in the form of slack Luke Rockhold. After defending against the 46-year-old Dan Henderson, Bisping is unlikely to be able to choose the next challenger. In the division, up to 84 kilograms is now the most competitive top five in the entire organization. And the current champion in the company of these guys looks almost ridiculous. The next challenger has already been unofficially declared Yoel Romero, who brutally destroyed ex-champion Chris Widman by 205. If nothing changes and Michael Bisping does not cheat, the second belt defense in all hands should be his last. Over his career, the Earl never (apart from the sloppy Rockhold) did not win real tops at the peak of form. Romero will enter the battle with eight consecutive wins, and they were mined in the most serious fights.
Fight Nurmagomedov - Ferguson for interim lightweight title, March 4, 2017, 209.
Unexpectedly difficult were the negotiations on organizing a third battle attempt between the two best lightweights on the planet. Tony Ferguson, who generally accuses everyone of not wanting to fight with the strongest, suddenly gave the back because of the proposed fee for the fight with Nurmagomedov. Habib even offered Tony $ 200 thousand from his own pocket, if only they had a duel. Also, at one point, rumors became frequent that it did not work out with Ferguson, he refused Nurmagomedov’s money, and began to look for a new rival to Oryol. The names of Jose Aldo and Michael Chiesa were called. However, the dynamics of the rumors of the last two days suggests that the Habib-Ferguson battle is likely to take place. First, Tony himself wrote on social networks about the imminent return, and later the father of Khabib Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, also in social networks, replied to the fan that Ferguson would be his son’s next rival. We can only hope that the fighters will be able to agree and reach the most intriguing lightweight fight without injuries.
Krylov - Edilov, April 2017.
When the history of the conflict between Nikita Krylov and Abdul-Kerim Edilov began, I confess that I did not really believe in the possibility of organizing such a fight. Almost until the end of 2016, Krylov came with a five-match winning streak and was in eighth place in the light heavyweight rating. An elite and extremely spectacular fighter from Donetsk was certainly interesting to the organization in terms of promotion. Therefore, the fight with Edilov, unknown to the Western public, who did not even have time to fight because of disqualification for the use of meldonium, is an unjustified risk of losing a promising avenue in the person of Nikita, of which there are very few in the category of up to 93 kilograms. However, Krylov, unfortunately, brought the fight with Edilov closer, losing 205 to Misha Tsirkunov by suffocation in the first round. Thus, we have very real chances to see the Krylov-Edilov match in April, when Abdul-Karim will end his disqualification.
The Return of Conor McGregor, May 2017.
It was May that President Dana White called when he was asked about the timing of Conor McGregor's return to business. In November 2016, after winning the lightweight title, the Irishman announced a short vacation in connection with the birth of a child. While it is completely incomprehensible what kind of test MacGregor is waiting for, the next time he gets into the cage (or boxing ring). A lot has already been written about the possible options, and the main ones are considered: the lightweight belt defense, the fight for the welterweight title against Tyrone Woodley, the third fight with Nate Diaz and the debut in boxing, for which Conor even received the necessary license. Of course, we are waiting for the MacGregor-Nurmagomedov fight, but too much must coincide for this fight to happen. And it is hardly possible to arrange this in 2017.
Vitaly Minakov's debut, mid-end 2017.
A couple of weeks ago, information appeared about the imminent signing of two famous Russian fighters of the Fight Nights organization, Vitaly Minakov and Rasul Mirzaev. Unfortunately, on the night of December 31, 2016, Mirzaev received several serious injuries as a result of a brutal attack. As for Minakov, Vitaly, our strongest heavyweight, has long had time to try his hand at the best league in the world. Exactly the Bellator ex-champion can fill the void in the soul of Russian fans who have not seen Fedor Emelianenko’s peak. Vitaly Minakov is absolutely capable of defeating any heavyweight planet. It's time to prove it to the world.
The Return of John Jones, Georges Saint-Pierre and Nick Diaz.
In 2017, a series of intriguing returns of legendary fighters awaits us, for whom age allows them to perform at the highest level for more than one year. We are talking about John Jones, the former light heavyweight champion, Georges Saint-Pierre, the ex-king of the welterweight division and Nick Diaz, who was once the main welterweight at Strikeforce. The exact return date can only be predicted in the case of Jones, whose disqualification expires in the summer of 2017. Senior Diaz, they say, was offered to return at one of the tournaments of the first half of the year with a fight against Robbie Lolera, but Nick allegedly refused. And negotiations with Georges Saint-Pierre have already been recognized several times as unsuccessful, therefore it is not possible to predict the time of the return of the Canadian legend. However, there is reason to believe that we will see ZhSP in the octagon before the end of the coming year. Still, the negotiations of the recently exempted Georges from the contract can not last forever. Age is running out, and moving a fighter of his level to another organization does not respect himself. No matter what amount it is about.
UFC tournament in Russia. Mid-end of 2017.
This has been talked about for a long time, but never before have we been so close to the first ever Russian UFC tournament. A better time than 2017 is simply impossible to come up with. The only downside is the inability to arrange the display of this event on a paid broadcast system (PPV). Nevertheless, as the most popular in our country correctly noted, it is possible to assemble a huge stadium to fight with him, which will make it possible to make good money on tickets. They also say that Dana White recently visited Russia himself in order to talk with our politicians on the subject of how to organize a tournament on the territory of the Russian Federation. A new wave of rumors on this subject, plus a large Russian roster in the UFC, coupled with new high-profile signatures (possible Minakova and held Bibulatova) allow us to hope that the tournament will be already in 2017. Do not forget about the presence of our superstar lightweight for the main battle of the Russian tournament. Nurmagomedov can only not pump up in the upcoming March battle.
A career in 2017 can be completed by:
Ronda Rosie. Because that's what they are talking about now. There is no need for the once main female fighter to return to the sport in which she already reached an absolute maximum. Today, Rosie can no longer be not only the dominant champion, but just a competitor to the top girls representing the lightest weight of the UFC. Unfortunately, her time is gone.
BJ Penn. The legendary fighter has repeatedly announced that he hangs four-oz gloves on a nail, but every time for some reason he comes back. Now Penn is back, apparently, to finish his career completely, since he will soon have to fight against one of the coolest UFC avenues, Yair Rodriguez.
Vitor Belfort. The legendary Brazilian is already 39, and if earlier the Phenomenon allowed itself to lose only in champion battles, recently Belfort was beaten by simply younger and stronger rivals. And in one gate. The upcoming fight with Calvin Gastelum also does not bode well for Vitor. The long-suffering Gastelum, exiled to the category of up to 84 kilograms for persistent failures when dropping to 77, fought three times in average weight in UFC and all three times successfully.
Michael Bisping. This is just an assumption, but there is enough reason to believe that everything will be so. Bisping so long and painfully walked to the coveted belt that it is even the official record holder for the number of fights that a fighter needed to reach this peak. After a painful loss of title, Michael will simply have no need to continue. He will not be enough for a new race behind the belt. And why is it necessary when the goal of all life has already been achieved.
Opening in 2017 may be:
Alexandra Albu. The Russian woman can’t reach a stable schedule of performances in the UFC, where she was signed already in 2013. During this time, Albu only once entered the octagon, having won a beautiful victory over Isabela Badurek. At first, a severe knee injury did not allow Alexandra to debut in the UFC for a long time. And after the victorious beginning, Albu devoted much time to personal matters. Now, as they say, nothing prevents Sasha from fighting more often, because soon we can see the dawn of a Russian star in the weight of “straws”.
Emil Mick. The Norwegian, signed by the UFC after defeating the scandalous Rusimar Paljares, has already managed to debut beautifully. A bright and exciting victory over Jordan Maine at UFC 206 is just the beginning for Mick. In 2017, we are likely to see the rapid rise of the spectacular Norwegian in the welterweight division, which suddenly found itself in a personnel crisis.
Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor rolled up, probably one of the coolest fights in history. After this victory, the whole world was again at the feet of the shocking Irish, and now everyone has a logical question - "Who will McGregor fight in the next fight?" Let's look at the most likely contenders for Conor's next opponent:
Jose Aldo
According to UFC President Dan White, the most likely next fight for Conor will be defending a featherweight title. We remind you that due to the long absence of the champion, a temporary title was played in the division, which is currently owned by Brazilian Jose Aldo.
“Conor must defend his title or make a decision that he will leave him and generally reflect on what he wants to do next. I also need to sit down and think carefully about this topic. If I were in Conor's place, I would defend my title to begin with. ”
Despite White’s words, it’s not so simple. McGregor himself immediately after the battle said that the fight against the Brazilian was not an interesting option for him at the moment.
“How much can you mess with Jose?” And so already was this two-year saga. He dropped out at the last moment. I continued to fight against the other guys. Then again all these transfers, a world tour, and then what? Then he went into the cage, and I figured it out in 13 seconds. It is difficult for me to perceive this fight as the next step in my career, especially taking into account his last performance. It was a victory decision. I thought he would go to battle and put all the dots on the "i", but this did not happen. So I don’t know, let's see ... "
Nate Diaz
While the rematch with Aldo is not of particular interest to McGregor, the third fight with Diaz, on the contrary, is quite an interesting option from Conor's point of view. And his bosses seem to count as well. However, the question is when this fight will happen.
Dana White:
“We absolutely will not organize this battle right now. Conor first needs to decide whether he will defend his title or whether he is going to leave it. And only then we will think about all other issues. ”
Conor McGregor:
“Now we have a score of 1-1. Let's replay everything a bit and do it again. This time I want to fight at 155 pounds. I climbed to 170 pounds, knowing that I would fight more overall rivals. Therefore, it will be fair now if he goes down to 155 and we will fight there. ”
Eddie Alvarez
And the last option is a fight against the current lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. We remind you that MacGregor should have already fought for the lightweight belt against Rafael Dos Agnos, but this fight was not destined to take place due to the injury of the Brazilian.
Eddie himself has recently become very insistent on demanding a fight with McGregor. And if the Irishman can deal with leg injuries, this fight could be a decoration of the UFC 205 tournament in New York.
Alvarez decided not to put the matter back and wrote on Twitter the following message:
…. So what's next?
After his epic victory, Conor McGregor can actually control his own destiny. At a press conference after the battle, the Irishman decided not to reveal all the cards and even hinted that he would look for the next call outside the cage.
“There are many options. Some of them are not even related to this sport. I am now in an excellent position. And, I tell you, it was very difficult for me. And I'm definitely going to get the most out of this situation. ”
Perhaps held with Georges Saint-Pierre. Dana White spoke about the conditions for the duel between Conor McGregor and Georges Saint-Pierre.
Georges Saint-Pierre plans to enter the octagon against middleweight champion Michael Bisping on November 4 at the UFC 217 tournament, after a four-year absence. Saint-Pierre said that he plans to return to the biggest fights, which will make him again feel strong motivation to continue a successful career. He feels that for him, Bisping is by far the most serious challenge in the UFC.
Meanwhile uFC champion light weight Conor McGregor constantly showing very great PPV sales results when it goes into the octagon.
Recently uFC President Dana White on the air of the show “TSN MMA” spoke about a possible duel between Conor McGregor and Georges Saint-Pierre.
“Georges Saint-Pierre will first have to win and defend the title at 185 pounds. Conor has some things to deal with. It will be at least a year and a half before we can even talk about it, ”said White.
“For Conor McGregor, any move is intriguing. I mean, if you look at Conor McGregor at 145, 155 and 170 pounds, any challenge will be intriguing to him. "
If Saint Pierre really can win the middleweight title and defend it, and Conor McGregor If it remains the biggest star, then the fight between them will surely become one of the biggest events in the history of UFC. White even has options where this super fight could take place.
“I don't know where it will be,” says White. “We could do it at Croke Park in Ireland, with a capacity of 100,000. We can do it here in Toronto, where we had 56,000 people. One could do it in Vegas, which would be grandiose too. ”
After the “fight of the century” with the invincible Floyd Mayweather, the most popular fighter of our time Conor McGregor decided not to go into boxing anymore, but to return to MMA. Who will be the next rival of the Irish?
Invincible Habib
The most obvious option for McGregor is the Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov. The 28-year-old Dagestan has 24 victories and not a single defeat, and has long been eager to punish the self-confident Irishman. Their first skirmish occurred a year ago before UFC 205.
I waited for our eyes to collide. When he looked at me, I first trumped. Why wait then? He, in addition to “What?”, Could not say anything. I told him: “Cho what? I’ll break your face! ”- Nurmagomedov told about the incident.
After the battle of the century, which Habib commented on for Russian television, the fighter hastened to remind himself once more, challenging McGregor to a fight on December 30. The Irishman has not yet responded to the challenge, but there are all prerequisites for the battle - not so long ago Conor himself said that after the fight with Mayweather he intends to cool the ardor of the Russian.
On the one hand, a duel with Nurmagomedov after a loud defeat to Konor is only to his advantage - this is his opportunity to rehabilitate himself and, after losing to one invincible athlete, to overwhelm an athlete, albeit not so boasted, but also invincible.
On the other hand, there is a great risk that a battered Irishman doubts his strength and is afraid to go into a cage with a Russian. Still, sports experts say that it was Khabib who would be the favorite in this battle. Especially the last fight the Russian spent as much as a year ago, and it is not clear to Conor what to expect from him now. If McGregor thinks so, then most likely he will try to find a simpler option for rehabilitation in front of the public. Russian fans can only hope that McGregor is not scared.
Tony Ferguson
Photo: wikipedia.org
But not only Nurmagomedov is trying hard to get a fight with McGregor - the most promoted fighter in UFC history promises a huge fee for the fight and star status to anyone who puts it on the shoulder blades, so other contenders have joined the race for the fight with the Irish. The main one is the American Tony Ferguson.
Ferguson currently ranks second in the world lightweight rating immediately after Nurmagomedov. In the spring, the American was to fight with the Russian for a temporary world title, which remained vacant due to McGregor's unexpected transition to boxing. However, the fight broke through the fault of Habib, who was hospitalized due to extreme weight loss. Moreover, this was not the first time it had happened - the duel between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson had already failed three times.
Now Ferguson, who himself has repeatedly spoken about the desire to fight with McGregor, is trying with all his might to belittle the Russian and prevent his fight with the Irishman.
“Don't try to look meaningful. You had a chance, fat man. You cannot speak at my level. I am better. Finish your career, fake, ”Ferguson commented on Habib’s challenge on Twitter.
Due to Habib’s persistent health problems and the canceled battles, Ferguson is indeed a more reliable option for McGregor and the UFC. But the American has already planned a fight in the near future. On October 7, Ferguson will fight with another American, Kevin Lee, for the title of interim world champion, and now he needs to focus on it. During this time, a possible battle with Conor may float away to another.
Nate Diaz
Photo: globallookpress.com
McGregor himself, after a fight with Mayweather, called his American American Nate Diaz his next possible rival, rather than shocking rather than delighting others. Diaz takes only the sixth line in the lightweight rating and, compared to Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, he looks like a whipping boy.
Moreover, it is not clear why McGregor should meet with Diaz for the third time. Last year, Conor fought with the American twice, first losing and then winning. It would seem that the peak has been conquered and it is time to conquer other peaks, but for some reason the Irishman returns to the previous one. Perhaps McGregor understands that he will not be able to oppose either Habib or Ferguson now, and he needs a weaker opponent. Very reasonable, though not championly.