UFC president Dana White revealed Conor McGregor’s next potential opponent last night (Fri., Nov. 30, 2018) during TUF 28 Finale’s post-fight show on FOX Sports 1.
White, who was asked what UFC had in store for “Notorious” as he awaits his hearing with Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Dec. 10 for UFC 229’s post-fight brawl, revealed that he wants McGregor to fight lightweight contender Dustin Poirier and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to defend his title against top contender Tony Ferguson with the winners to fight each other.
“The fight that makes sense right now is probably [Dustin] Poirier,” White said of McGregor’s potential return. “And then Tony [Ferguson] gets a shot at the title and the two winners fight each other.
“But I’m not sure exactly on a date when Conor’s going to fight yet. We have to get through this Nevada State Athletic Commission stuff first.”
Remember, McGregor defeated ‘Diamond’ via first-round TKO at UFC 178 four years ago. While this is a stylistic matchup that bodes well for “Notorious,” Poirier has racked off a 8-1 (1 NC) record in his return to 155 pounds so all bets should be off. If it should happen, it would be the second rematch of McGregor’s UFC career (Nate Diaz being the other).
As far as the Khabib vs. Ferguson fight, that’s an obvious choice. They are the two best lightweights on the planet today and have already been scheduled to fight a whopping four times. There’s always a chance that either Khabib or Tony fall out of another fight, but it’s a clash of MMA stars that simply needs to happen.
Unfortunately for all you “Cowboy” fans, White also took a moment to clear the air about that pesky Donald Cerrone vs. McGregor rumor.
“The ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone fight has never, ever been discussed,” said White. “That’s completely not true.”
Only time will tell if White’s matchmaking stays true, but it’s an interesting setup to think about as we approach 2019, especially considering it’s a direct path for McGregor to get his rematch with Khabib.