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Conor McGregor is unquestionably the biggest draw in the sport of MMA. For years, McGregor has both broken and set pay-per-view buyrate records for the UFC. Testament to his ability to draw attention, McGregor is still being called out by some of the top fighters in the sport despite being injured and on a losing streak.
McGregor is a former two-division UFC champion and the first to hold the UFC featherweight and lightweight championships simultaneously. Although 'The Notorious' is out recovering from the injury sustained in his loss to Dustin Poirier, he continues to dominate the headlines.
McGregor has been involved in a few heated back-and-forth exchanges on social media, so he'll have no shortage of potential opponents. He is still expected to miss the first half of 2022, so the summer will be a reasonable timeframe for his return. This list will look at 5 possible opponents for Conor McGregor when he's cleared to return to the UFC octagon.
#5. Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson
Kicking off this list of possible opponents for Conor McGregor when he returns is Tony Ferguson. 'El Cucuy' would be an excellent matchup to book as both he and McGregor have a long history with one another. While McGregor took a hiatus from MMA in 2017 to take on Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match, Ferguson won the interim UFC lightweight championship.
It looked like McGregor-Ferguson would take place following McGregor's boxing match with Mayweather, however, that was not the case. The Irishman was stripped of the title due to inactivity, while Ferguson was stripped of the interim title due to injury. As a result, Khabib Nurmagomedov was crowned UFC lightweight champion when he defeated Al Iaquinta at UFC 223.
With both McGregor and Ferguson on a losing streak, now would be the perfect time to revisit that matchup. 'El Cucuy' is still one of the most popular fighters in the sport and McGregor is still a massive pay-per-view draw.
Both McGregor and Ferguson's respective fighting styles would make for an interesting matchup. 'The Notorious' would have an advantage in the striking exchanges, while Ferguson's unorthodox style could pose a problem for him if 'El Cucuy' is able to take the fight to the ground.
#4. Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 4
Another option for Conor McGregor when he returns is a fourth bout with Dustin Poirier. Based on how their two fights in 2021 ended, it may seem unlikely that a fourth bout will materialize.
However, the aftermath of their trilogy bout could prompt the UFC into booking a fourth fight. After all, the trilogy bout ended via doctor's stoppage, unlike their two previous bouts that ended with decisive knockouts. UFC President Dana White even told the media that he was open to booking a fourth fight when McGregor returns.
Poirier being McGregor's first opponent when he returns will all depend on what happens at UFC 269. Poirier is scheduled to challenge Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight belt in the main event. If 'The Diamond' comes up short, a fourth bout with McGregor could take place immediately after as the timing would work out.
#3. Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2
If the UFC chooses to go in another direction for McGregor's return bout, Max Holloway is an opponent that'd make sense. Holloway is coming off an incredible win over Yair Rodriguez and could earn another UFC featherweight title opportunity in the near future.
Although Holloway is viewed as the No. 1 contender in the featherweight division, he seemed more open to accepting other fights. Instead of pursing a trilogy bout with Alexander Volkanovski, who has defeated him twice. Holloway has hinted that he may have aspirations of competing at lightweight.
With McGregor still recovering from injury, Holloway could use the time to recover and get his body acclimated to a new weight class. Holloway's last outing at lightweight was in 2019, when he fought Poirier for the interim UFC lightweight championship.
With Holloway's legacy very much in-tact at 145 lbs, he may be looking to pursue another belt to add to his legacy. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor recently posted a video of himself seemingly staring down 'Blessed' through a TV screen.
Similar to McGregor's rematches with Poirier, the first fight with Holloway took place at featherweight early on in both their careers. It'd be interesting to see how a rematch between McGregor and Holloway would play out. Holloway has evolved and become a significantly better striker since their first bout, so it would make for a fun slugfest.
#2. Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal
Another possible opponent for Conor McGregor that'd make for an interesting matchup is Jorge Masvidal. McGregor vs. Masvidal in a main event would be massive for the UFC. Many believe that McGregor vs. Masvidal would set new pay-per-view buyrate records for the promotion.
McGregor has expressed interest in fighting 'Gamebred' after UFC President Dana White famously shot down the idea of the two fighting. During a press-conference, White mentioned that he felt Masvidal is too big for McGregor and that the former two-division champion doesn't belong at welterweight.
Both McGregor and Masvidal are two of the promotion's biggest draws and their personas would make for an entertaining spectacle. Masvidal is currently on a two-fight losing streak that saw him come up short against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Depending on what the promotion does with Masvidal next, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to book a fight between the two. Perhaps the UFC could make things more interesting by adding Masvidal's BMF title into the mix.
#1. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3
Topping this list of opponents for Conor McGregor when he's cleared to return is Nate Diaz. The trilogy bout between McGregor and Diaz has been talked about since their rematch at UFC 202. McGregor won the rematch by a close majority decision with the judges scoring the bout 47-47, 48-47, and 48-47.
It was believed that the trilogy bout was inevitable since both had one win over each other. The rubber match has always been an option for the UFC. Much like the previous two bouts, the trilogy would most likely be contested at 170 lbs.
The timing is interesting because Diaz only has one fight left on his contract. If he decides to fight out the contract soon and test free agency, McGregor-Diaz 3 could be a missed opportunity. On the other hand, if Diaz signs a new deal with the UFC, the trilogy would make the most sense. The UFC may view the trilogy as the perfect return bout for McGregor, which could persuade Diaz to re-sign.
