by King Hazard
Conor McGregor has been hogging the headlines a fair bit recently. This comes after taking time away from the sport after breaking his leg during the trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last July. Now, especially in recent months, The Mac hasn’t just been producing and then deleting odd Tweets, instead announcing that he’s back in light training ahead of a potential return to the UFC in 2022.
Whether you love or hate the man, there is no doubting that Conor McGregor is a fascinating character and a rare breed. The Irishman is, without a doubt, the undisputed box office king in MMA, with worldwide audiences following his every move and most fighters hoping to be matched up alongside him in the hope of earning a lucrative fight deal. McGregor currently holds eight of the 10 most-bought UFC pay-per-views ever, which tells you all you need to know about his ability to captivate audiences. Despite taking time away from the sport, the UFC still needs its main man.
Whether or not the Dublin-born fighter is capable of rediscovering some of the best moments from his peak years remains to be seen, but he undoubtedly poses a serious threat to whoever he faces in his comeback fight. After all, striking wins fights, as pointed out in Jeff Fox’s betting piece on how to pick a live underdog, and McGregor certainly possesses the tools to strike his way to victory, given his solid boxing skills. But who could he face in 2022 for one of the most highly anticipated comebacks the UFC has seen? Let’s take a look at a few potential candidates below.
Dustin Poirier
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Conor McGregor couldn’t resist reacting to Dustin Poirier’s title fight defeat by Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, which has sparked fresh rumours that the pair could potentially meet in the Octagon once again. Whether or not Dustin Poirier has the appetite for the fight is unclear, especially with rumours circulating around his potential retirement, but fans would surely love to see the pair go at it in what would be a highly lucrative fourth meeting between the two.
Tony Ferguson
When looking at some of the current options, Tony Ferguson is surely one of the most appealing fighters that Conor McGregor could take on. They’ve both recorded great success at 155lbs, but by the same token, they’re also in desperate need of a big comeback, with Ferguson losing three fights in a row and McGregor’s troubles obviously being well documented. It could certainly make for an interesting one.
Michael Chandler
A former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, Michael Chandler is a name that has continually been mentioned in the same breath as Conor McGregor in recent times. A strong contender to face Conor in his return fight, Chandler and the Irishman have clashed on social media of late and clearly don’t see eye to eye.
Nate Diaz
Even the most casual of UFC fans know that Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz’s hatred runs deep. The Irishman has always said that a potential trilogy clash is always on the cards but whether or not both men truly want the fight is far from certain, especially as it could potentially spell the end for whoever loses the meeting. Going by recent images, The Notorious has bulked up a great deal during his time away from the sport also, therefore meaning that he’d have to trim down a fair bit to make the fight a realistic prospect.
Charles Oliveira
The man who recently saw off Dustin Poirier is one of the most feared fighters in the UFC and the current lightweight champion, therefore representing the sternest of tests for McGregor should he take the fight, but stranger things have happened. Dana White would surely want to make the fight happen, too, you’d think.
Other potential opponents for Conor McGregor include Justin Gaethje, Rafael dos Anjos, Max Holloway, Islam Makhachev, and Kamaru Usman.
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