5 logical fights for Conor McGregor when he makes his UFC return

Conor McGregor has been medically suspended for the rest of 2021. The suspension is a consequence of the broken tibia he suffered during his UFC 264 trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier.

A hobbled McGregor vowed that “this isn’t over” during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Needless to say, McGregor is already back in the gym, though he will of course be skipping leg day for a while.

Despite his astonishing $120 million net worth and recent spate of misfortune in the octagon, McGregor has no plans of retiring. Come 2022, it’ll simply be a matter of time before we see the Irishman stage an attempt at a comeback.

While many expect a Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier IV clash, it’s debatable whether or not that’ll be his first fight back. Should ‘The Diamond’ defeat Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title, McGregor’s chances at facing Poirier first will go severely downhill.

Even if ‘do Bronx’ beats Poirier, he is now considerably higher than McGregor in the lightweight rankings. Perhaps a change of pace is best. When it comes to fighting, a star like McGregor is typically looking for two main things: money and championship gold.

Considering his health, he may also be looking for some lower down on the totem pole fighters as well. With that in mind, here are five fighters who fit at least two of these three requirements for when ‘The Notorious’ returns.

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#5. Conor McGregor vs. Jeremy Stephens

“Who the f—- is that guy?”

In 2021, Conor McGregor’s harsh words regarding Jeremy Stephens at the UFC 205 press conference remain a meme. Stephens' doomed crack at challenging ‘The Notorious’ led to one of the Irishman’s quickest and sharpest putdowns.

Stephens’ record has taken some hits in the years since. It’s something he has in common with McGregor who, despite his superstar status, has won just one fight since his UFC 205 victory over Eddie Alvarez in 2016. Another thing they have in common is that they have moved between the featherweight and lightweight divisions over the years.

When McGregor comes back, it’ll likely be on shaky ground. As the trials and tribulations of Anderson Silva following his own leg break revealed, it’s hard to regain confident footing. Perhaps an opponent slightly beneath McGregor’s level is the best course of action in 2022.

The promotion for the fight would no doubt be effective. Between McGregor’s audacious trash talk and Stephens’ own heavy duty attitude, there’d be plenty of entertainment value in the lead-up.

In the octagon, at lightweight, perhaps McGregor can get another win to his name (he’s won just once at lightweight) and move on to bigger things again. For Stephens, this would be one hell of a payday win, lose or draw.

#4. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz III

One of the most lucrative trilogy clashes going, McGregor vs. Diaz III has been a dream fight for five years. McGregor has fought at welterweight again since 2016, he picked up a round one TKO victory against Donald Cerrone last year.

Given his comments regarding current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, it’s not implausible McGregor might want to return to the division. At welterweight, McGregor won’t have to punish his body with a weight cut.

Furthermore, with a little extra size on him, he can increase his strength and explosiveness. Similar to McGregor, Nate Diaz is a big money star who’s fallen on some hard times in the octagon.

After a two-year lay-off following his UFC 244 loss to Jorge Masvidal, Diaz returned this year at UFC 263. There, he found himself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Leon Edwards.

With a record of 20-13 now and training injuries in more recent years, questions regarding Diaz’s longevity are beginning to surface. Considering the severity of McGregor’s injury at UFC 264, such questions will likely be heading his way too in the near future.

For both men, this is a huge money fight they can put on before their bodies start to give out after years of punishment in the octagon.

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#3. Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Better six years late than never.

Conor McGregor was originally supposed to challenge then-UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196. Unfortunately, dos Anjos was forced to pull out after breaking his foot in training. Instead, McGregor faced Nate Diaz.

During McGregor’s lengthy feud with ‘The Stockton Slugger’, a recovered dos Anjos dropped the title to Eddie Alvarez in July 2016. Alvarez went on to lose his gold to McGregor at UFC 205.

The much-hyped McGregor vs. dos Anjos showdown never happened. Recently, at UFC 264, it was rumored dos Anjos was present as a stand-in should either the Irishman or Dustin Poirier have to pull out of their fight. McGregor acknowledged the rumor in a tweet, saying he’d be up for fighting both of them.

The Brazilian hasn’t fought since his November 2020 split decision victory over Paul Felder. Now back in the lightweight division after a foray into welterweight, could dos Anjos be the perfect return opponent for McGregor?

Their history should make this fight an easy sell. Given his hit-and-miss track record at welterweight, some have wondered if dos Anjos has passed his prime. For McGregor, such a notion ought to be a confidence booster when he finally sets foot in the octagon again.

#2. Conor McGregor vs. Dan Hooker

Much like McGregor, this Kiwi striker is currently on a two-fight skid. At UFC 257, Michael Chandler scored a TKO win on Dan Hooker by punching him into next week. Earlier, in June 2020, Hooker fell to Dustin Poirier by way of unanimous decision in a truly epic, five-round war.

If Conor McGregor is still determined to both regain the UFC lightweight title and get some revenge on Poirier, Hooker might be the ticket. Despite his losing ways over the past year, ‘The Hangman’ has still got the number eight slot in the UFC lightweight rankings.

If the Irishman can get past Hooker and thus secure a win over a top ten contender, it will set him back on track. For McGregor to pull that off, he’s going to have to watch his bad leg as a striker like Hooker will low kick it into oblivion.

Defense and counter-striking will be the keys to victory for ‘The Notorious’ against this Auckland kickboxing menace.

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#1. Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson

Is this fight too dangerous?

Tony Ferguson was long considered the boogeyman of the UFC lightweight division. A fearsome, unorthodox fighter whose training is even more painful than his fighting.

‘El Cucuy’ appeared to be on the cusp of championship greatness in the UFC for many years. Beyond a painfully brief UFC interim lightweight title reign cut short by injury, Ferguson is yet to ascend the lightweight mountain.

Between his cursed match-up with Khabib Nurmagomedov and his 11 fight win-streak getting snapped by Justin Gaethje at UFC 249, Ferguson just can’t catch a break.

He is now on a three-fight skid, having dropped unanimous decision losses to now-champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 256 and Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 as well. For Conor McGregor, striking a notoriously dangerous opponent while he’s down could be his ticket to collecting a major scalp.

If McGregor were to fight the TUF 13 winner, it would satisfy two major objectives he will likely have in 2022. First, it will be a big money fight between two of the lightweight division’s most colorful personalities. Second, Ferguson sits at sixth place in the lightweight title rankings. Defeating him would likely help hotshot McGregor back up the list.

As dangerous as Ferguson is, he might just be worth the risk for McGregor in 2022. A win here would likely save the Irishman’s now slightly tainted credibility and help him start moving towards the pinnacle of the sport once more.