5 ONE Championship strikers who could go toe-to-toe with Conor McGregor

What has 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor been up to as of late? Aside from ballooning to 190 pounds while earning more dollars than the entire UFC roster combined, pretty much the usual.

His social media presence is still rife with a myriad of things, ranging from fighter callouts, interacting with his fans and promoting his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey. All while earning enough money to last him 10 lifetimes.

The 2021 Forbes' highest paid athlete has had a very productive 2021 as far as income is concerned. With two appearances and a little over seven minutes inside the octagon, both of which were stoppage losses, McGregor earned an unbelievable $180 million.

Much of the Irish megastar's earnings, however, came from his ultra-popular Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and a select few endorsements.

There's virtually nothing more that can be said about MMA's most transcendent star that hasn't been said already. McGregor's accomplishments, mytique and hype-generating appeal have turned him into a household name bigger than the sport itself.

The question now, of course, is what's next for McGregor? Will we see him fight again in 2022 after suffering two knockout losses in 2021? You bet your a*s we will. As long as he can still throw a punch, the UFC will always sell Conor McGregor fights 'til the end of time.

The more important question now is who is Conor McGregor fighting? There's a possible fourth fight with recent rival Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier or a trilogy bout with arguably his greatest foe Nate Diaz. Maybe even an immediate title bout against lightweight king Charles Oliveira is ont he cards, despite it making zero sense.

Speaking of fights that make little sense, let's take off our sensible hats for a minute and consider bouts the Irishman could take outside the UFC, if such things are still possible today. We're looking at ONE Championship.

Yes, Bellator and PFL have been making waves as of late but not as resounding as the Asian organization. We know that ONE's CEO Chatri Sityodtong has publicly said that he wouldn't sign Conor McGregor even if he's a free agent. With that said, we're just here to speculate on the 'what if' scenarios.

Today we list down five good ONE Championship matchups for 'The Notorious' if he were to ever sign with the promotion. In an alternate reality, that is. Let's get on with the list.

---

#5. Conor McGregor vs. Timofey Nastyukhin

Let's start with a fighter who has something in common with the Irish superstar. ONE's lightweight killing machine, the Russian berzerker Timofey Nastyukhin, famously knocked out one of McGregor's biggest foes, Eddie Alvarez.

The stocky slugger from Russia arguably outdid 'The Notorious' by dispatching Alvarez in less than a round, whereas McGregor did it in two. Nastyukhin is the type of fighter the Irishman loves to pick apart.

Nastyukhin swings almost always from the hip and intends to remove you from your senses with every blow. Because of this, the lightweight standout is quite hittable. Just make sure he doesn't get to hit you back. The man has the power to put anybody away in an instant.

With size and power on Nastyukhin's side, while Conor has speed, timing and technique, this bout has fireworks written all over it.

#4. Conor McGregor vs. Dagi Arslanaliev

Conor McGregor would definitely have problems inside the cage against Saygid Guseyn 'Dagi' Arslanaliev, considering the ONE star's most recent outing. Despite being a jiu-jitsu national champion, Dagi has evolved his game into a brawling, blood-and-gut style of striking.

Not only does he have a granite chin, Dagi also has the power to give anyone a run for their money inside the cage. Dagi's shattering power and swarming flavor of boxing are similar to Dustin Poirier, who is famous for beating McGregor twice last year.

Dagi's 2021 Fight of the Year bout against the aforementioned Nastyukhin raised a lot of eyebrows to the skill and finishing ability of the Dagestani. Considering McGregor's history with Dagestani fighters, this bout already has a story that could build hype around it.

---

#3. Conor McGregor vs. Thanh Le

ONE Championship's 155-pound champion Thanh Le is a knockout artist with a style similar to that of McGregor. He fights southpaw and uses fluid striking and superb distance management to pick his spots and land his fight-ending punch.

That's straight out of McGregor's playbook.

A Le versus McGregor fight has the makings of a technical chess match that would stay 100% on the feet. Exhibiting power in both hands, Le switches stances often to confuse his opponents. He also has kicks in his arsenal that have finished quite a few of his opponents.

In the past, Conor McGregor has faced elite strikers like Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier and Max Halloway. Most of them, however, are swarmers who use volume punches to end fights.

The former two-division UFC champion has not faced a technical, sniper-like striker like Le, a man who is almost mirror-like style-wise. That would make this fight very compelling to watch.

Watch Le's striking highlight reel in this YouTube video:

#2. Conor McGregor vs. Ok Rae Yoon

Conor McGregor loves to take fights that can generate major hype. Armed with a striking arsenal that got him ONE's lightweight belt within only a year, Ok Rae Yoon has become the most famous Korean MMA fighter today.

South Korea has been at the forefront of almost everything entertainment in the past five years or so. From movies to pop stars to combat sports, the East Asian country is slowly taking over mainstream pop culture.

Not only would a McGregor vs. Ok Rae Yoon fight be one of the biggest bouts in Asian MMA history, it would also showcase a very fascinating striking battle. Ok stands at 6-foot tall and weighs 170 pounds, similar to McGregor's archrival Nate Diaz.

Unlike Diaz, however, Ok has a more kickboxing-centered attack, mixing up his kicks and punches fluidly. Fluidity might be the best word to describe Ok's game as the South Korean seamlessly strings together his strikes. He can go from throwing stiff jab-straights to flying knees and spinning heel kicks in one fluid motion.

It would be interesting to watch McGregor, who mostly leans on his atomic left cross, deal with Ok's flowing combinations inside the cage.

---

#1. Conor McGregor vs. Christian Lee

Without a doubt, former ONE Championship lightweight king Christian 'The Warrior' Lee would be the best possible fight for Conor McGregor inside the Circle.

At just 23 years old, the Canadian-American fighter of Asian descent achieved what most fighters could only dream of in an entire career.

With a strong grappling background complementing his lethal straight punches and looping hooks, Lee is as complete of an MMA fighter as anyone can be. Lee hovers over his opponents like a hummingbird then explosively propels himself with lightning-quick punches and kicks.

If he's not trying to separate his opponents from their senses with strikes, Lee snatches legs or bodylocks to put them on the ground. Simply put, Lee's well-rounded MMA game would match well with McGregor's striking-heavy approach.

With marketability skyrocketing through the roof by pitting Asia's most notable MMA fighter against the sport's most famous athlete, this fight would surely make history.