Conor McGregor’s absence from the sport of MMA has caused chaos over the past 13 months. Now, after his trip to the world of boxing, things look to be getting back to normal. Well, as normal as it gets with McGregor involved…
Conor McGregor’s journey through the MMA ranks has been very unique. After joining the UFC in 2013, ‘The Notorious’ was still relatively unknown, but it didn’t take long for the brash Irishman to get noticed.
By the time he faced Jose Aldo for the featherweight title at UFC 194, everybody knew the name McGregor. As he pummeled Aldo’s unconscious face just 13 seconds into their title unification bout, it was clear McGregor was here to stay, kinda.
A duo of epic fights with Nate Diaz later, McGregor was basically gifted a title shot at lightweight. He took that offering with both hands, starching Eddie Alvarez without even breaking a sweat. This was the last time ‘The Notorious’ competed in MMA.
Mayweather Loss & Possible UFC Return
Typically of the now globally famous McGregor, everyone wanted a piece after the Floyd Mayweather bout. ‘The Notorious’ had competed in the fight that sent him into the rich list, but now the UFC was struggling to meet his demands.
All the while, Toney Ferguson was going on a record-breaking streak, and even Khabib Nurmagomedov was now more active than McGregor.
If John Kavanagh’s recent video is anything to go by, it will indeed be ‘The Eagle’ who fights McGregor next, however much sense that doesn’t make:
Nurmagomedov won in dominant fashion at UFC 219. Closing out 2017 with a bang, UFC 219 saw Khabib batter Edson Barboza over three gruelling rounds. So how does Khabib fight the champion before interim boss ‘El Cucuy?’
We know Ferguson had surgery recently, but it was apparently minor. Plus, ‘The Eagle’ said he doesn’t even consider McGregor as the real champ. Perhaps, the UFC’s craving for a show in Russia has something to do with it.
Healthy Khabib is Scary
Nurmagomedov was dominant, bloodying Barboza with a high volume of punches on the ground. After the win, Nurmagomedov even offered to fight interim champ Tony Ferguson and champ Conor McGregor in one night:
“When I’m injured, these guys talk. When I’m here, where are they? If UFC approves, I’ll fight both Conor and Tony in the same night. Why not? I swear, this is no joke.”
“Everybody forgets about (Conor) because he doesn’t want real fights. He fights with only 45-year-old Floyd Mayweather or marijuana guy (Nate Diaz) who lose 10 times in UFC, Nate Diaz. This is crazy, he has to defend his belt!”
“Zero. I don’t need money, I need only real fights, fight for the title, I don’t fight for the money, I fight for my legacy, I fight for history, I fight for my people.”
” I need Tony and Conor on the same night.”
