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What's the story?
It seems that not a day can go by without the wider MMA media discussing what's next for Conor McGregor.
Most recently, the former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping gave his thoughts on how McGregor should navigate his imminent return to the sport whilst speaking on his Believe You Me Podcast.
"That’s the fight to make [McGregor vs. Aldo II], if I’m honest. Conor’s got to get back in the winning circle. If he fights Khabib, more than likely that’s not going to happen. Could he catch him with a good shot and rock him and follow it up? Yeah, of course he could. But more than likely Khabib’s going to take his best shot, he’s going to take him down and we’re going to have a replay of what happened last time."
“Aldo and McGregor, the buildup to that fight was huge. It ended amazingly in 13 seconds and well done to McGregor. I think people would love to see that because a lot of people feel that Aldo could do better in the rematch. And that’s definitely a very winnable fight for Conor. Of course we saw what happened the first time, the second time who knows what’s going to happen? But it’s a very winnable fight.”
In case you didn't know...
McGregor has been absent from mixed martial arts since he was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 last year.
Since then there seems to have been a never-ending stream of rumours and speculation as to what Conor's next move will be as he looks to get a much-needed win under his belt.
The heart of the matter
There is no secret to the fact that McGregor is heavily motivated by money and it seems unlikely that he will come back to combat sports without a significant financial incentive.
Of the offers that will likely be put forward to McGregor and his team, a rematch with Jose Aldo would probably offer the lowest financial gain compared to potential rematches with Khabib or Nate Diaz.
What's next?
Any announcements surrounding McGregor's return are likely to be on hold until the lightweight division has found some order. Khabib, meanwhile, will defend his belt against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 next month.
