UFC President Dana White, recently announced that Conor McGregor would be taking a well-deserved break from the Octagon, following his historic victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Notorious One has been very active since his UFC debut and has stepped in the Octagon four times in the past year. In his post-fight interview after UFC 205, the Irishman announced that he will be becoming a father next year and will be taking some time off from fighting.
"I've a few announcements, one announcement is that I'm going to be a daddy early next year. I'm crapping my jocks I'm not going to lie. I don't even know what way to take it, it's going to mess with my head because I don't want to bring a child into anything like this," the two-division champ said in his interview.
"I don't want no little celebrity type sh*t, I hate that. I don't want my family to be like that. That's a little thing that's in my head. I'm going to have this baby, take a little time and see what way I feel after that," he added.
UFC President Dana confirmed Conor McGregor's status about his future in the company during an interview with Los Angeles Times.
"He won't fight before May. His girl (Dee Devlin) gets super stressed out when he fights. He doesn't want her having any of that stress while she's pregnant. He's good. He should take time off. He's been fighting nonstop. Nothing wrong with him taking time off. It's good for him and her and it's good for the baby.”
Conor McGregor’s long absence from the Octagon will be a tough pill to swallow for his fans. The Notorious one has been one of the biggest draws in the history of MMA. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this is true when it comes to the Irishman’s long hiatus.
Not that it's different otherwise, but the Irishman's return to the Octagon after a long break will be one of the most awaited moments for MMA fans worldwide. Here's a look at top 5 opponents Conor can face for his return to the Octagon in 2017:
#5 Tyron Woodley
The only reason a fight with the current Welterweight Champion, Tyron Woodley, ranks at the bottom of the list, is because of the very bleak chances of the fight actually materialising. The Notorious One shared an intense stare down with Welterweight champ at the UFC 205, and it created enough sparks for a future match-up.
No doubt, Conor McGregor vs. Tyron Woodley would be a blockbuster in terms of pay-per-view buys. However, that’s probably the only factor working in favour of it.
But there are many reasons which work against this fight. Primarily, with a rematch between Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley around the corner, it's not certain whether Woodley would still be the Welterweight champion by the time Conor returns. Also, the fight itself would be a massive mismatch. Conor has already fought at welterweight against Nate Diaz.
Although Nate and Woodley are both nearly 170 lbs, the explosive power that Woodley possesses is much greater than Diaz. Even if Conor manages to make the weight, he would have a massive disadvantage in terms of size.
Moreover, UFC would probably receive severe criticism from hardcore fans and the majority of the roster itself, for letting Conor have a go at the Welterweight title.
#4 Jose Aldo
Truth be told, Jose Aldo deserves his rematch for the featherweight title. His shocking loss at UFC 194, when Conor knocked him out in just thirteen seconds has been a staggering blemish on his career which he would desperately like to remove. Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 to become the interim Featherweight Champion.
The interim champ would be raring to have a shot at the Featherweight title, more specifically, Conor McGregor and regain his tarnished legacy. And just like their fight at UFC 194, their rematch guarantees to set the excitement level to the roof.
The pre-fight press conferences and weigh-ins before their bout at UFC 194 were memorable, and no one would complain if we get to see it all over again.
#3 Nate Diaz
Back when Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out of his fight against Conor at UFC 196, no one would have expected that it would give birth to an epic rivalry between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Despite the obvious weight difference between the two, they seem to be the perfect opponents for each other.
Nate was the one who handed McGregor his first and only loss in UFC. The Notorious One earned his revenge by defeating Nate in a brutal five-round war at UFC 202.
Their score currently stands at 1-1. Their rematch at UFC 202 is considered as one of the best fights of the year. As seen in their post-fight interview, both Conor and Nate are willing to have a go at it once again. The rivalry between the two has been epic, and the world deserves to see it culminate with a trilogy.
#2 Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao was billed as 'The Fight of the Century'. It was a battle of greatness between the two legends of the sport. Their fight broke all the previous records for pay-per-view revenue and with 4.6 million purchases, it gathered a staggering $410 million in revenue.
If there is one fight which can manage to touch these numbers, it has to be Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor. It would be the biggest crossover fight in the history of combat sports and the PPV numbers for the fight would be insane.
Although Mayweather announced his retirement in September, with an impeccable record of 49-0, the former five-division world champion said that he would consider coming out of retirement only for a fight with Conor McGregor. Both Mayweather and McGregor have shown interest in the fight and have also teased the fight on multiple platforms.
If the super fight ever materialises, it would be Mayweather's chance to retire with a perfect record of 50-0 and also McGregor’s chance to become the greatest man in all of combat sports and not just MMA. It would be an incredible sight to see one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, box one of the greatest boxers in history.
Conor’s return does not necessarily have to be in the Octagon; a boxing ring would work equally well.
#1 Khabib Nurmagomedov
Amongst all the options, this has to be the best one for the Irishman to make his comeback. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been on a path of destruction in his recent fights and has maintained an unstained record of 24-0.
After demolishing Michael Johnson in his previous fight, Khabib deserves a shot at the lightweight title. Just recently, Khabib took to Twitter to make it clear that he would fight his next fight in UFC, only if it is for the lightweight title.
A fight between the Russian sensation and the Irish Superstar would be one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. The numbers would speak for themselves, and the fight itself would be a blockbuster inside the Octagon, irrespective of the result. For what it's worth, I believe that Conor vs. Khabib is the money fight for UFC!
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