Now that Conor McGregor failed his welterweight test, it’s time to head back to the featherweight division to defend his 145-pound title, which he acquired with a 13-second knockout win over Jose Aldo at the UFC 194 pay-per-view (PPV) event back in December.
But whether “Notorious” rematches Aldo or gives Frankie Edgar his chance to pull the sword from the proverbial stone remains to be seen. If it was up to SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh, McGregor would first finish his business with Aldo.
From The MMA Hour:
“Me personally, maybe the Aldo rematch, I’d like to see that again. I just think the first one was great for us, but it was a little bit unfulfilling. I think Aldo has a fantastic set of skills, he was a great champion and I didn’t think that quite closed the chapter on that. So, [let’s] see a proper fight. I think stylistically it would be a very nice fight to watch and a very good challenge. So that’s my personal opinion, but like I said, I’m not the decision-maker on that. Or Frankie, he’s a great fighter as well. I just … you know Frankie’s lost to Aldo and Aldo just had such an amazing run. He just got caught with that very, very hard shot and went down fast. That’s just how that fight went. But just for me, because I think I learned so much just watching it, to have a good back-and-forth fight, I just think it would be for me I’d get a year’s worth of material to coach off for the next 20 years off. So, that would be my personal preference. But, if it’s Frankie or if it’s Dos Anjos or if it’s another 170 fight, I’m happy just to be there.”
Quite a different tune from his last conversation.
McGregor was submitted by Nate Diaz in the UFC 196 main event last weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, which marks his first defeat under the ZUFFA banner. Aldo recently called for a UFC 200 do-over, but UFC President Dana White also went on record to declare Edgar as the next contender.
Who do you, the fickle fight fan, want to see McGregor fight first?