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2023 should see the return of the UFC’s biggest superstar, former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor. The big question surrounds his potential opponent.
One thing is for certain, and that’s the idea that Conor McGregor should be matched with a beatable opponent upon his return. So who should that be? Thankfully for ‘The Notorious’, there are no shortage of options for him across multiple weight classes, depending on where he decides to come back.
Here are five beatable opponents for Conor McGregor upon his return to the UFC.
#5. Conor McGregor vs. Robbie Lawler
If Conor McGregor returns to the octagon as a welterweight, one prospective opponent for him might be Robbie Lawler.
The former UFC welterweight champion has fallen on hard times in recent years, winning just one of his last six bouts. In fact, a number of fans have called for ‘Ruthless’ to retire for good, worrying about his future health due to the damage he’s taken over time.
However, at the age of 40, Lawler seems content to continue to fight. Most recently, in fact, he was booked against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 282, only to be forced out due to injury.
Would he work as a beatable opponent for McGregor? Almost certainly. Lawler still packs plenty of power in his punches, but he’s much slower than he once was, and his once-legendary durability is all but gone now.
If ‘The Notorious’ could bring back his old striking style, which was based on movement, control of distance and timing, then Lawler’s brawling-based approach would probably play into his hands.
More importantly, Lawler would not be likely to attempt to take the Irishman down, something that has proven to be his Achilles' heel on numerous occasions.
A clash with Lawler would be semi-dangerous purely because of the former welterweight champ’s power. However, McGregor would definitely be favoured to beat him right now, and the big-name status of ‘Ruthless’ would make him a worthwhile foe.
#4. Conor McGregor vs. Nick Diaz
If Robbie Lawler could be seen as a beatable opponent for Conor McGregor upon his return to the UFC, then Nick Diaz should definitely be seen in the same light.
That’s because the last time we saw the Stockton-based veteran in the octagon, he was beaten pretty comprehensively by Lawler in what was a truly terrible showing for him.
Many fans felt that Diaz would never return after that loss, but he has recently stated that he plans to return in 2023, most likely as a middleweight.
Could he be a viable opponent for ‘The Notorious’, then? The answer is definitely yes. Firstly, if the UFC are unable to make the trilogy bout between McGregor and Nate Diaz, a fight between the Irishman and Nate’s older brother is surely the next best thing.
Secondly, McGregor needs a win right now. If Diaz were to come into the fight in the same condition as he did for his bout with Lawler, then ‘The Notorious’ would almost certainly come out on top.
Obviously it’d be a risk, as Diaz might come in close to his peak shape, but at the age of 39, that feels unlikely. Therefore, this could be a winnable fight for McGregor that would also draw well on pay-per-view.
#3. Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal
One fight that would definitely draw a big number on pay-per-view for the UFC would be a welterweight clash between Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal. However, with it being paramount that ‘The Notorious’ wins his return bout, would this fight be too risky for him?
On the one hand, it definitely wouldn’t be a completely safe fight for the Irishman. Masvidal has long been known as one of the best technical boxers in the UFC. He’s also a dangerous grappler and could well look to take a fight like this to the ground.
On the other hand, ‘Gamebred’ has been looking past his best recently. He hasn’t won a fight since November 2019 when he stopped Nate Diaz, and has lost his last three bouts.
Sure, McGregor wouldn’t be likely to wrestle him to death as Colby Covington did earlier this year. Given that Kamaru Usman knocked him out in violent fashion, though, ‘The Notorious’ might be confident of repeating the trick.
It’s also worth noting that if the Irishman could return to his old striking style, which made use of expert timing, control of distance and movement, he could give Masvidal the same kind of issues that Stephen Thompson did in their 2017 fight.
Overall, then, this would be a dangerous, but winnable fight for McGregor, making ‘Gamebred’ a viable opponent.
#2. Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Back in 2016, it’s fair to say that Rafael dos Anjos missed a golden opportunity when he was forced out of his UFC lightweight title defense against Conor McGregor.
McGregor famously embarked on his two-fight rivalry with Nate Diaz instead. Meanwhile, the Irishman did eventually fight for – and win – the lightweight title, but by that point, ‘RDA’ had been dethroned. ‘The Notorious’ instead defeated Eddie Alvarez to become a double champion.
So could 2023 be the right year to revisit a potential McGregor vs. dos Anjos fight and would the Brazilian be a beatable opponent for ‘The Notorious’?
The answer to both questions could well be yes. McGregor and ‘RDA’ did exchange plenty of verbal barbs prior to their cancelled bout, meaning that it’d be easy for the UFC to drum up interest in it.
More importantly, though, while dos Anjos would’ve been a difficult fight for McGregor in 2016, almost seven years have passed since then.
During that time, ‘RDA’ has suffered a number of defeats, he’s slower than he once was, and at the age of 38, he’s definitely less durable, too.
Dos Anjos did impress against Bryan Barberena, but it’s fair to say that ‘Bam Bam’ doesn’t have the striking prowess of McGregor. If the Irishman could get back to his best, then beating ‘RDA’ would not be beyond him by any means.
#1. Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson
Perhaps the best choice for Conor McGregor’s opponent upon his return would be a man who spent plenty of time chasing him a few years ago – former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
Ferguson famously called out the Irishman on numerous occasions between 2016 and 2018 during his run at the top of the 155-pound division. However, he was never able to pin him down to a fight. So could 2023 be the right time to change that?
In many ways, this fight makes perfect sense. ‘El Cucuy’ still holds plenty of name value due to the 12-fight win streak he put together between 2013 and 2019, but it’s safe to say he’s seen better days.
Right now, Ferguson is on a five-fight losing streak and has been finished in all but two of those bouts. This streak has, in fact, resulted in him being removed from the UFC’s lightweight rankings for the first time in over seven years.
However, it’d be easy for the UFC to sell a fight between him and McGregor based on their history, even if ‘El Cucuy’ isn’t the fighter he once was.
More importantly, with everything that brought him to the top, particularly his durability, on the wane, he’d definitely be a beatable opponent for the Irishman.
Essentially, if the UFC wants ‘The Notorious’ to get back to his winning ways, this fight might be the perfect opportunity for him.
