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Conor McGregor has lost his two bouts against current ranked UFC lightweight contenders. Although he captured the lightweight championship, his title fight opponent, Eddie Alvarez, left the UFC in 2018.
The fight for the belt against Alvarez was Conor McGregor's sole victory in the 155 lb division. In his two other bouts, against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier, the Irishman suffered two losses.
Even though Conor McGregor beat Poirier the first time they met in 2014, that bout was valid for the UFC featherweight weight class. The loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 178 was Poirier's last time competing as a featherweight.
If Nate Diaz returns from the welterweight to the lightweight category, there will be another 155 lb contender who Conor McGregor has defeated before. However, it is the same case as Poirier. When "The Notorious One" fought Diaz, it was in a different weight class.
As a welterweight, Conor McGregor has competed in the same amount of bouts as lightweight. Besides the two fights against Diaz, the Irishman also performed versus Donald Cerrone in 2020.
Another fighter who has faced Conor McGregor and has competed in the lightweight division is Max Holloway. The former featherweight champion was McGregor's second opponent in the promotion.
Holloway had a shot for the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 236, where Dustin Poirier defeated him.
Conor McGregor's next opponent will likely be someone from the 155 lb ranking. Another rematch with Poirier or Diaz could happen, as well as with Khabib. Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, and Michael Chandler are also viable opponents.
Is Conor McGregor retiring from the UFC lightweight division?
After losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, Conor McGregor's future looks uncertain. Talking to Jon Anik in his post-fight interview, the Irishman was adamant about continuing competing.
Ahead of the bout, Conor McGregor talked about how happy he was with the lightweight division's landscape. Besides Dustin Poirier and Khabib Nurmagomedov, there are at least five other names with a strong claim to the title.
Conor McGregor has praised and opened the possibility of a fight against almost all of them. Charles Oliveira looks like the best contender to get a title fight with Poirier, but Michael Chandler has also made a good case for himself after beating Dan Hooker in UFC 257.
Former lightweight title contenders Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje also surround Conor McGregor's future. "The Notorious One" has also commented about how he would like to fight Tony Ferguson.
Who would you like to see fighting Conor McGregor next? Sound off in the comments.
