Returning to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night Dublin on Saturday after a year-long off due to injury, “The Notorious” Conor McGregor (15-2, 3-0 UFC) was victorious over Diego Brandao (18-10, 4-3 UFC) in the main event of the evening. The Irishman delivered exactly what he promised, finishing his Brazilian opponent with strikes in the opening frame.
Now, the entire MMA landscape is abuzz with one question: what is next for Conor McGregor?
There are a few key components to this prognostication. Who will be matched up with the brash brawler, what type of fight card will it be on and where will it be placed on that card, and where will the fight itself take place?
As far as McGregor’s opponent, nobody can accuse him of seeking safe fights. He’s called out anybody and everybody in the division, from Dustin Poirier and Cub Swanson all the way up to number one contender Chad Mendes. All of these fighters are ranked in the top six of the featherweight division, whilst McGregor isn’t even in the top ten (as of Sunday evening he’s #12).
Despite the Irishman’s best wishes, Poirier is the only one of those men that makes sense realistically. The American Top Team product is 3-0 in last three fights and currently doe not have a fight currently lined up. There’s also the ready-made storyline of Poirier not offering to step-up to face McGregor when his teammate Cole Miller was forced to pull out due to injury, something McGregor made note of several times these past few days. For his part, “The Diamond” has expressed his desire for the bout; so has McGregor.
. @danawhite
@seanshelby
@lorenzofertitta
I'm ready when you are.
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) July 19, 2014
If the UFC decides against that fight and wants to bring McGregor along more slowly, two bouts on the horizon that could produce potential contenders are Clay Guida versus Dennis Bermudez in July at UFC on Fox 12, as well as the potential Nik Lentz versus Charles Oliveira contest expected to take place in early September at UFC Fight Night 50.
A victorious Clay Guida would be a very credible matchup for McGregor. The 45-fight veteran is still a relatively big name opponent and would be able to presumably put pressure on McGregor’s still relatively untested wrestling. Bermudez-McGregor would definitely be a fun fight if the former is victorious, but wouldn’t do much in the way of solidifying the Irishman’s contender status as Bermudez is only ranked #11 in the division.
Lentz would be a solid combination of the benefits the Poirier and Guida possibilities provide. Like Poirier, Lentz is a top ten featherweight (albeit being ranked #9 compared to Poirier’s #6 spot) and also has the back story of being a Cole Miller teammate at American Top Team. He’s also a high-pressure, wrestling-based fighter like Guida. If Lentz loses however, a fight for McGregor against Oliveira makes very little sense.
Another wild-card to look out for is Chan Sung Jung. “The Korean Zombie” is currently ranked #5 at featherweight, and is looking to return in either August or September after injuring his shoulder against Jose Aldo last August. If the UFC doesn’t like the Poirier matchup but wants to keep the Irishman active, this could be the way to go. It gives McGregor a highly-ranked scalp to collect, and does so in favorable conditions due to Jung’s aforementioned layoff.
Regardless of his dance partner, the dance hall and position on the set list might be the more interesting aspects of “The Notorious’s” next fight.
The way I see it, the UFC can go one of three ways with this. They could book McGregor as the main event of a Fox Sports 1 card, the co-main of a big Fox card, or as one of the opening bouts on a pay-per-view (PPV) card.
I think the UFC should hold off on booking McGregor on PPV just yet. While he’s becoming a star in his own right, I don’t think he’s big enough to move the needle on an event with a significant paywall behind it.
McGregor/Poirier has all the makings of a blockbuster of a fight, and would do well as the co-main on a big Fox card. If McGregor s gets matched up with a fighter who tends to grind like Lentz or Guida however, the UFC would probably do best to hedge their bets and keep McGregor on Fox Sports 1.
It’s also interesting to see where the UFC books McGregor. His late two fights have taken place in the heavily pro-Irish city of Boston and the Irish capital, Dublin. Dana White indicated at the post-fight press conference they’d like to book McGregor in Las Vegas for his next fight, and I think that’s the right move. We’ve seen with Vitor Belfort how fans can turn on a fighter they believe are being protected in their hometown.
Wherever the UFC decides to go with McGregor, you can be sure that the hype train will be barreling down the track behind him. We may be witnessing the birth of the UFC’s next superstar, so let’s just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOSCarlucci. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
For more great MMA interviews with the biggest fight stars on the planet, remember to check out Hammer MMA Radio on 93.3 CFMU or find their latest episodes on LWOS. Hammer Radio features interviews from some of the industry’s biggest stars. You can find the latest on the Hammer @SteveJeffery.
