“I’m looking at it as (if) Anthony beats Nate, and I think Conor is next on the horizon.”
MMA manager Abraham Kawa believes Conor McGregor would be the next logical step for Anthony Pettis should ‘Showtime’ beat Nate Diaz at UFC 241.
No one is quite sure who McGregor will fight next but Kawa, who manages the likes of Pettis, Jon Jones and Tyron Woodley, believes McGregor vs. Pettis could be the perfect matchup for both men.
Speaking to MMA Junkie in a recent interview, Kawa said he would prefer to see McGregor take on Pettis rather than Khabib Nurmagomedov, who beat ‘The Notorious’ via submission in last year’s blockbuster UFC 229 main event.
“Even Conor fighting Khabib, I don’t think that’s the fight,” Kawa told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I actually don’t want to see that fight right now. Maybe after a while, yes. But right now I think Conor vs. Anthony is the fight. I’m looking at it as (if) Anthony beats Nate, and I think Conor is next on the horizon.”
Speaking of Pettis’ upcoming welterweight bout with Diaz, Kawa believes his star client is going to throw down with Diaz in the centre of the Octagon and come out on top.
“He has a following, he has a name, he’s one of the OG’s of the sport, and I take nothing away from Nate,” Kawa said. “To get Nate to get up in the morning and say that’s the dude I want to fight, I think we’re going to see fireworks.
“We’ve seen Anthony vs. ‘Cowboy’ (Donald Cerrone), and now we’ll see Anthony vs. Nate,” Kawa added. “They genuinely don’t like each other. They genuinely don’t see eye to eye, and they’re two guys that are going to come forward and throw. The better man is going to win, and I think if Anthony does what he’s supposed to do, he will win.
“I think next in line should be Conor. I don’t think there should be anyone else.”
UFC 241, which features Pettis vs. Diaz in the co-main event, takes place later this year, Aug. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.