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Conor McGregor is presently preparing for his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier, scheduled to take place in the main event at UFC 264. Winning the bout will immediately shoot McGregor into the title picture, although there might be a few contenders ahead of him in the stacked lightweight division.
However, going by their last outing at UFC 257, there is no denying the possibility of a loss for Conor McGregor, which raises several questions about his future in the UFC.
While Conor McGregor remains the biggest star in MMA history, his career may have seen its peak way back in the past. Conor McGregor has gone 3-3 in his last six UFC outings, including a lone victory over Donald Cerrone in a period spanning over four years.
In his most recent appearance, McGregor suffered a second-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. In a striking masterclass, Dustin Poirier decimated Conor McGregor's leg with vicious calf kicks to avenge a seven-year-old knockout defeat dating back to UFC 178.
"The Notorious One" is currently at a crucial juncture in his career where the next few matchups could prove to be pivotal for his legacy. Irrespective of the outcome of his upcoming fight against Dustin Poirier, let's take a look at the three worst possible stylistic matchups for Conor McGregor:
#3 Worst stylistic match for Conor McGregor: Justin Gaethje
While the winner of the UFC 264 headliner is expected to get a shot at the UFC lightweight title against Charles Oliveira, the loser could be matched up against the No. 2 contender, Justin Gaethje. If Conor McGregor is to find himself in that scenario, he must beware of The Highlight's leg kicks.
Justin Gaethje has one of the most vicious leg kicks amongst active MMA fighters and as we have seen, Conor McGregor doesn't respond well to them. Even if McGregor prepares for brutal calf kicks in case of a matchup against Gaethje, he might be overly focused on them, compromising other aspects of his game.
In a bout dating back to 2013 under the World Series of Fighting, a 24 year old Justin Gaethje made his opponent Brian Cobb tap out due to leg kicks in round two. Another example of the damage inflicted by Gaethje's leg kick was Dustin Poirier's swollen leg after their 2018 bout at UFC on Fox.
#2 Worst stylistic match for Conor McGregor: Beneil Dariush
Conor McGregor is primarily a striker with no legitimate wrestling background. Apart from his most recent loss to Poirier, Conor McGregor has suffered only two defeats inside the octagon, both coming via submission. Therefore it would not be wise for Conor McGregor at this point in his career to take on a fight against a stifling wrestler like Beneil Dariush.
The Irishman's first UFC loss came via a rear-naked choke against Nate Diaz back at UFC 196 back in 2016. Conor McGregor corrected the loss in his next outing and went on to win the UFC lightweight title before losing it to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018. McGregor's second loss inside the octagon came through a neck crank in the fourth round of the main event at UFC 229.
Meanwhile, Beneil Dariush is currently riding a magnificent seven-fight win streak which includes four bonus winning performances. After a dominant win over Tony Ferguson in his most recent outing, Dariush is currently eyeing a shot at the UFC lightweight title. A win over Conor McGregor could be the clincher for Dariush's much awaited title shot.
#1 Worst stylistic match for Conor McGregor: Islam Makhachev
Several fighters nearing the end of their careers and some even at their peak have been accused of ducking No. 9 ranked UFC lightweight contender, Islam Makhachev. While they remain mainly accusations, some top-level contenders might truly have dodged the Dagestani fighter and wisely so.
Riding a seven-fight win streak, Islam Makhachev currently looks like an unstoppable force in the lightweight division.
Makhachev has been a long-time teammate of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov since their days in Dagestan and they currently train together at the American Kickboxing Academy.
Makhachev bears a close resemblance to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the context of fighting style and is expected to follow in the 'Eagle's' footsteps. While Islam Makhachev is yet to face a top-level opponent, his teammates at AKA are confident in his abilities and already have title aspirations for him.
Much like his fight against Khabib, Conor McGregor would probably be stifled on the canvas in a match against Islam Makhachev.
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