by King Hazard
Conor McGregor has yet to reveal what his next fight will be in MMA, with some reports suggesting he is looking to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a rematch from UFC 229 where the Russian won by submission to claim the lightweight championship.
McGregor has called upon Nurmagomedov to meet him again as the Irishman is convinced the result will be different next time around. The scenes which followed their first contest were ugly and the UFC will be very nervous about the two men sharing the octagon again.
Although it may well be the UFC that McGregor competes in next, the former two-weight champion has made it no secret that he would like to try professional boxing for a second time. The Notorious was involved in one of the biggest sporting events this century when he faced Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, where he lost in the tenth round of that contest. Many pundits in boxing did not think the UFC star would last more than three rounds, however, he surprised many by taking one of the greatest boxers of all time into the latter stages of the bout.
Since that defeat to the unbeaten American, McGregor has been involved in a bitter feud with Paulie Malignaggi, which looks like it will lead to the two men squaring off in the boxing ring. It won’t be the first time the two fighters have shared a ring as they sparred with each other in the build-up to the Mayweather fight where McGregor floored Malignaggi, if the leaked video from their session is to be believed.
Malignaggi has not fought since he retired from the sport in 2017. However, a comeback could be on the cards in 2019. The welterweight boxer will be keeping a close eye on the contest between Errol Spence Jr and Mikey Garcia in April for the IBF title in the division where Spence Jr is 2/9 in the latest boxing odds to defend his title. The 38-year-old is the former WBA champion and may still have aspirations of another world title, therefore, expect him to be ringside in Texas to see two of the leading boxers at welterweight face each other.
A clash with McGregor has massive global appeal and given how profitable it would be for both men, it may be Malignaggi’s preferred fight if he does make a return. It is very unlikely that the American will agree to facing his foe in MMA, therefore the only way a bout will be made is if it is in boxing.
The other option McGregor may be exploring is to take on kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa. Mayweather travelled to Asia to fight the Japanese star in a three-round boxing contest last month. Money needed less than two minutes to knock his opponent out in what turned out to be an easy night for the retired boxer. McGregor will fancy his chances of doing the same to Nasukawa in what would be a profitable fight for him if he could agree a deal to face the kickboxer, who is a huge star in Japan.
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