Now more than ever, Conor McGregor‘s next matchup and the way the UFC handle him mentally and physically are going to define his legacy.
Several fighters and media this past weekend, and in the days following UFC 264, have tweeted and stated that the McGregor shtick is stale and tiresome. McGregor himself has even been more active on Twitter, no retirements though, and the trash talk has been flowing and been getting deleted after.
The sad truth though is the UFC doesn’t care about those voices or how much McGregor crosses the line for the general public. The media has to cover the sport and McGregor gets clicks, morals be damned he will continue to get coverage.
The fighters don’t have to love them, show me a workplace where everyone gets along and I will call the bluff.
McGregor is already getting a push from the boss, Dana White for a fourth fight with foe Dustin Poirier, does it make sense? Absolutely not. We have seen how those two will handle each other because these guys just aren’t the same anymore physically or mentally.
The question stands though, what fights make sense for McGregor?
The UFC needs to rebuild his confidence in the octagon, outside the octagon, he is still overflowing with it so what matchups would get him back to normal? Three come to mind that would do just that and could also get the UFC money wheel spinning again. All three of these opponents should give the UFC some viable options for Conor McGregor’s next fight going forward.
Conor McGregor – Matchups to Save His Career
Mike Perry
Mike Perry is coming off of two decision losses to Tim Means and Daniel Rodriguez but he remains a name that carries weight because of his fighting style and his troubles out of the cage. Conor McGregor needs a boxing type of rebuild that we saw from Manny Pacquiao after he got knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez, give him a guy who will stand in front of him and can make Mcgregor look good.
Mike Perry can be your huckleberry.
Belal Muhammad
Ever since his horrific eye poke no-contest against Leon Edwards, Belal Muhammad is a name fans rally behind and who also has a heavy presence on social media. In the cage though, Muhammad has a great overall game but he still loves a good fashioned stand-up war that would get eyeballs which is something Muhammad needs at this point in his career.
I can’t stop imaging him at the grocery store shopping on that scooter telling this story to the guy refilling the apples https://t.co/4wJHFxmxzg
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) July 15, 2021
He comes off a win over Demian Maia in June and is riding a six fight unbeaten streak and has finally cracked the top ten in the welterweight division. McGregor and Muhammad could help each other in the fact that either McGregor gets a solid comeback win over a top ten opponent or Muhammad gets the name he has been looking for on his resume.
Dan Hooker
When you look at the UFC lightweight rankings McGregor is out of place it seems. He looks badly matched until you get to Dan Hooker. Hooker was riding an impressive streak and was looking the part until he lost an amazing decision to McGregor foe Dustin Porier and then Michael Chandler in Chandler’s UFC debut.
Hooker can collect a win or two before McGregor rehabs from his injury, he may even win one and lose one. Either way,Hooker again fits the Brandon Rios mould for Conor McGregor where he will stand in front of him. Perry is just a name for McGregor whereas Hooker is a name and a ranked fighter that fans and media respect.
Long-time rival Khabib Nurmagomedov has already called it a career for him, he needs to be handled properly and timidly, most importantly, because otherwise, we may lose McGregor all together.
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