The return of Conor McGregor has been met with anticipation. Love him or hate him, he is the most mobilising figure in MMA today. Sure, he’s involved in a number of unsavoury legal cases, including two allegations of sexual assault. You are well in your right not to want to see him fight again.
But the fact is that many people do want to see him fight. He will fight Donald Cerrone this coming February. The pair will meet in the welterweight division. This brought on a lot of speculation because both men are natural lightweights. However, it looks like McGregor has a very good reason for this decision.
The Irishman wants a clash with Jorge Masvidal. ‘Gamebred’ is one of the biggest active draws on the roster right now. His charisma and knockout power make him incredibly exciting. As the roster’s first BMF champion, he even holds a title that Mcgregor has never won. Now his coach has confirmed that he wants that fight.
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Gamebred
If it’s true then you can’t accuse McGregor of taking easy match-ups. Many believe that a fight with Masvidal would end badly for the Irishman because of ‘Gamebred’s size and power. However, it’s worth mentioning that ‘The Notorious’ has never been knocked out and is an excellent boxer in his own right. When asked about the potential fight, coach Owen Roddy confirmed his SBG teammate’s intentions.
“That’s the plan,” Roddy told MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast. That’s what he wants to do and there’s one thing I always say: when Conor says he wants to do something if anyone is going to do it, he can. But, let’s not look past Cerrone. He’s a tricky opponent and he’s a veteran with tricks up his sleeve. But Conor going in there the way he looks now, he should do well.”
Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports.
Preparation
Roddy also insists that we’re going to see McGregor better prepared than ever. First of all, his cardio has improved dramatically. He has a history of gassing out in his two fights at welterweight. Those were against Masvidal’s most recent opponent, Nate Diaz.
“Looking at the second fight with Nate Diaz fight, that’s what you’re going to see,” Roddy said. “It’s that Conor. He’s been at this weight for a while. He’s used to training at this weight; grappling and sparring, running and doing the miles.
His body knows how to move that weight around now and he knows how to move it around quickly. There’s no killing himself to make weight and there’s no limit calories in the last three weeks of camp trying to get down to weight…that’s gone. Now, he’s just focusing on his training, doing what he’s doing, looking at his opponent and breaking him down and dismantling him in the fight.”
Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Too Big
Masvidal seems nonplussed by talk of the potential fight. He would love to fight the Irishman for the money but is wary of focusing on the Irishman and missing out on other options. ‘Gamebred’ should be next in line for a welterweight title shot, but Kamaru Usman is already talking about fighting Leon Edwards. Masvidal tweeted:
“I thought Dana said I was too much man for that individual #theresurrection.”
Obviously it would be a brilliant fight for him if he could get it. But you can’t count the money you don’t have and a title fight is a sure thing if he pushes for it. To sum up, his destiny is in his hands. He’ll definitely be watching McGregor v Cerrone with interest. Do you think McGregor can beat Masvidal?
