Six Fighters Who Can Derail Conor McGregor’s Hype Train

Khabib Nurmagomedov

With McGregor choosing to campaign at lightweight, the UFC is pushing for his first title defense to be against marquee Russian combatant Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov cemented his stature as next in line to get a crack at the UFC lightweight title after manhandling and submitting Michael Johnson at UFC 205.

From both a business and matchmaking perspective, the UFC would like to cater something fresh in the eyes of the sport’s diehard fans.

Putting McGregor up against a gritty adversity like Nurmagomedov could generate warm ticket sales.

It is no secret that wrestling has been McGregor’s waterloo. Everyone remembers McGregor’s rough showing against Chad Mendes for the interim UFC featherweight strap in 2015.

The 5-foot-6 Mendes opened a cut near McGregor’s right eye with a slashing elbow. Moments later, he piled on the punishment with ground-and-pound from inside guard.

After spending most of the second period defending himself from his back, McGregor found a way to return to his feet. Back standing, McGregor then launched several straight left hands and a kick to the body to earn the stoppage.

Nurmagomedov is not Mendes however. The Russian fighter is considered one of the best wrestlers in the UFC today. He has found success by dragging his opponents to the mat and then polishing them off with either ground-and-pound or submissions.