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Since making his UFC debut in 2013, Conor McGregor has become the face of the promotion.
Of late, the Irishman's fights tend to become blockbuster affairs, regardless of who he fights against. Be it his title fights with Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, Nate Diaz or, his much hyped-up bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, they've all been amongst UFC's highest PPV selling events.
However, there are some potentially fiery Conor McGregor match-ups that may never happen. On that note, let's have a look at five such blockbuster fights.
#5 Conor McGregor vs Rafael Dos Anjos
One of Conor McGregor's biggest super-fights, for varying reasons, could have been against Rafael Dos Anjos.
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The UFC 196 event initially had Conor McGregor lined up against lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. With a win, McGregor had an opportunity to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously.
While McGregor did become the first UFC fighter to hold two title belts simultaneously, that happened nine months later, as Dos Anjos pulled out of the UFC 196 event. After Dos Anjos got out, Nate Diaz came into the picture, initiating an exciting six-month-long rivalry with Conor McGregor in the UFC.
While McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez later in November that year to win the lightweight belt, the fight against Dos Anjos never happened.
It may never be known how Conor McGregor would have fared against a brawny Dos Anjos - a former welterweight with a stand-up as good as McGregor's and with arguably superior wrestling prowess to boot.
#4 Conor McGregor vs Anderson Silva
One of the greatest MMA legends, Anderson 'The Spider' Silva, and Conor McGregor had agreed to a super-fight, but that, unfortunately, never happened.
The match-up would have been a delight for combat sports fans and could have racked in great revenue for the UFC too.
Silva's all-round package, crazy reflexes and a high fighting IQ against Conor McGregor's vicious stand-up game, impeccable timing and precision could have been an enticing proposition.
Only if the UFC had agreed for the fight.
Talks regarding the clash between Conor McGregor and the legendary former UFC middleweight champion began in 2019, following Silva's unanimous decision loss to the current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
After the fight, Conor McGregor had complimented Silva, calling him a crafty martial artist. 'The Notorious One' then signalled that he was ready to share the Octagon with ‘The Spider’.
However, the event never saw the light of day. The blame for the failure of Silva vs Conor McGregor super fight not happening can be put on Dana White.
In an interview with Combate, Anderson Silva revealed that while he and Conor McGregor had agreed for a potential fight, UFC President Dana White disapproved the same.
"UFC owes me a super-fight by contract. Conor called me out right after my fight with (Israel) Adesanya. Our team talked to his team, and we agreed upon a bout at (170lbs), but something happened, and UFC decided to not make it," Silva said.
#3 Conor McGregor vs George St-Pierre
Before Conor McGregor had made his UFC debut, Georges St-Pierre (GSP) was killing it with his high-selling PPV buys consistently.
After a four-year break, GSP made his return at UFC 217 to take on the middleweight giant Michael Bisping, the fight racked in approximately 875,000 PPV buys. By beating Bisping, St-Pierre proved that a lot of fans were willing to pay to watch him.
Given St-Pierre's reputation, it would have been nothing less than a blockbuster clash had he matched up with the most popular combat athlete in the world, Conor McGregor.
Ever since Conor McGregor has stepped his foot in the UFC, there have been rumblings about him taking on GSP.
George St-Pierre's coach Freddie Roach even admitted that it would make sense if the middleweight star would bid farewell to the UFC with a last fight against 'The Notorious One'.
During the UFC 196 bout between Diaz and Conor McGregor, the spotlight was often on GSP, who was watching from the crowd.
However, GSP retired about a year after being diagnosed with 'ulcerative colitis'. While he still acknowledges what a blockbuster his match-up with Conor McGregor might have been, he doesn't seem interested in the same now.
“The thing is, Conor McGregor, money-wise, I believe is the one that can put the most money on the table. However, I think legacy-wise, I don’t think he’s the guy that legacy-wise. He sells, the biggest seller in the sport. But talk about legacy. If I come back for legacy, that’s what interests me the most, more than the money," said George St-Pierre
Beating Conor McGregor would have added to GSP's legacy. The fighter also apparently has a secret tactic to beat the Irishman, as he revealed in an interview, but the fight is unlikely to happen.
#2 Conor McGregor vs Tyron Woodley
Tyron Woodley and Conor McGregor had rubbed each other the wrong way during the peak of their careers.
When McGregor became the 'double-champ' in 2016, his coach John Kavanagh admitted that their camp was interested in the Irishman going up and conquering the welterweight division.
UFC 205 saw Conor McGregor and Woodley in the main and co-main events, respectively. However, what was more interesting to see was the start of a spicy face-off between the two during the fight week, fuelling speculations of a bout between Conor McGregor and Woodley.
The beef between Conor McGregor and Woodley, although shortlived, sparked off during the UFC 205 press conferences.
Responding to a media question, Conor McGregor had claimed that he would eventually look to conquer the welterweight, too, once he was done with Eddie Alvarez in the lightweight.
That, for obvious reasons, didn't go well with Tyron Woodley, who said:
"Aye, we punch with way different power in this division. Pack a lunch brother."
That kickstarted a war of words on Twitter between the two fighters.
Later in an interview with Ariel Helwani, Tyron Woodley said for the first time that he was open to taking on Conor McGregor, saying:
"If the powers that be in the UFC and the fans want to see us scrap, I mean, just send me a bout agreement. I’m in."
The rivalry soon phased out, as Conor McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title and moved out for a 'Money Fight'. Meanwhile, Tyron Woodley went on to defend his welterweight title three more times after UFC 205 before losing to Kamaru Usman in 2019.
The fighting styles of both the fighters could have matched up well against each other, something the UFC could have capitalised on.
#1 Conor McGregor vs Manny Pacquiao
Following Conor McGregor's 'retirement' in June 2020, there were reports that the Irishman was looking for a comeback with a $250 million mega-bout in boxing.
There were two reasons for the same. One, McGregor had cited boredom before announcing retirement, claiming that the prospects available in UFC had stopped exciting him. Secondly, the money and fame that the 'Money Fight' against Floyd Mayweather generated tasted good.
Conor McGregor, who was seen enjoying his retirement, soon sparked speculation of a new bout agreement - one that would have seen him face another big name in boxing.
On August 1, 2020, less than three weeks after his birthday, Conor McGregor tweeted "Tinatanggap ko" - meaning "I accept".
That was posted in Tagalog, the Philippines' national language - the one spoken by the multi-weight boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.
And it made a lot of sense, considering that Conor McGregor had said ahead of UFC 246 that he was in talks with Pacquiao regarding a super-fight in boxing. Besides, the fact that Pacquiao and McGregor were both managed by the same firm - Paradigm SM - led to more speculation about the mega-fight happening.
As reported by the Insider, Paradigm's co-founder and CEO, Audie Attar, had also said that a Conor McGregor and Pacquiao fight is possible, as "boxing is definitely something (McGregor) plans on doing."
The word reached Floyd Mayweather, who said:
"It’s like my leftover eating leftovers."
The fight never happened, though, as Conor McGregor made a comeback to the UFC, dousing speculation about his super-fight with Manny Pacquiao materialising any time soon.
