What’s Next for Conor McGregor?

Now we’ve all heard the whispers that Conor McGregor could be on Vince McMahon’s wanted list for WrestleMania 34 in April of next year. In fact, it’s pretty much all anyone can talk about these last few days. And while his opponent in the ring is anyone’s guess (we’re really hoping for Triple H), there’s the small matter of a fight in the UFC to get through first.

So, who will The Notorious come up against on his long-awaited return to the octagon? Well, that’s a good question. There are three names that top the list: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz.

After the Mayweather fight, Khabib himself called out McGregor on Instagram. And with Conor previously stating that he wanted to fight Khabib in his homeland of Russia, it pretty much looked like a dead cert. It would be an incredible fight not only because it’s the fight that many UFC fans want to see, but also due to their conflicting fighting styles. Khabib is a grappler with lots of wrestling experience while McGregor is the man with the knockout left punch. However, talk of the fight has died down recently, especially with Tony Ferguson taking the interim lightweight title at UFC 216.

It stands to reason that the current interim titleholder would want a shot at McGregor and Dana White would seem to agree. The UFC chief said that he felt that Ferguson deserved his chance to fight McGregor. And to be honest, he’s right, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen. A lot of things will have to fall into place before the fight is confirmed, and while it is, of course, the fight that should happen, it’s not really the one that we want to see.

The last viable option on the list is undoubtedly the one that would draw the most pay-per-views and the one that anyone with even just a passing interest in the sport would want to see: McGregor vs. Diaz.

With both Diaz and McGregor besting each other once already, this fight would be the decider that would offer one of the fighters the ultimate bragging rights. We can just imagine what all the press conferences would be like, and as for the fight, it’s a tough one to call. If Diaz gets McGregor on the floor, then it’s goodnight for the Irishman. On the other hand, one good left hook from Conor and it could be lights out for Diaz.

BetStars seems to be of the opinion that McGregor’s next fight will be against either Diaz or Nurmagomedov with the site currently only offering odds on these two potential opponents. And if you think about it, from a pay-per-view perspective, those two are the money fights. Regardless of Dana White’s assertions that Ferguson will get his chance, it’s more likely that we’ll see a Diaz rematch or a fight with Khabib. White will no doubt shake his head and say something about his hands being tied, but we all know that it’s the pay-per-views that count and the Diaz trilogy is where the money is.

But what would McGregor choose himself? He’s proven time and again that he’s all about the money, so it makes sense that he’ll opt for a Diaz fight if given a choice. Either that or a rumble with the Russian. Whoever he does fight, we just hope that he keeps himself in one piece. We really want to see that Triple H vs. McGregor matchup at WrestleMania 34. Hey, we can dream, right?