Ali Abdelaziz, the manager of Islam Makhachev says Conor McGregor needs to fully focus on fighting if he wants to fight for the lightweight title again.
McGregor is scheduled to return to the Octagon on June 29 against Michael Chandler at welterweight. Although there were worries the fight would be off, as of right now, the bout is still happening.
Should McGregor get his hand raised, the Irishman would have massive fights looking for him. One possible fight is Islam Makhachev and Abdelaziz says the lightweight champ wouldn’t say no to a McGregor fight.
“Conor might go there and knock out Chandler in the first round,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “And after that, he’s one of the biggest stars in the sport. Like him or hate him, he is. And if he tells the UFC, ‘Hey, I want a title shot, Islam want a title shot.’ That can be the next title shot. Islam’s not gonna say no to this fight. It’s a big fight, it’s a big name, it’s a lot more money.
“The guy’s a massive star,” Abdelaziz continued. “I think he’s a piece of s—, but he is a massive star. You can’t take this away from him. With the history with Khabib, and with him and with Islam, it will be all over again. It’ll be all over again and it’ll be one of the biggest fights you can make today. One thing I know about Dana White, he likes money and he likes business. That’s why the UFC is so big right now. You have Dana, you have Hunter [Campbell], you have Sean [Shelby], you have Mick [Maynard]. They are great minds, and they put on the biggest fights that can sell the most pay-per-views. Why not? Absolutely. Listen, it’s very possible.”
Conor McGregor enters the bout with Michael Chandler as a slight -102 underdog.
Ali Abdelaziz wonders if Conor McGregor is serious about fighting
With Conor McGregor being as rich as he is, many have wondered if the desire to train and fight is still there. That is also a question that Abdelaziz has as he wonders if McGregor is serious about fighting.
“But, you know, Conor has to get off the bottle and he has to leave the drugs alone and focus,” Abdelaziz said. “And yeah, he’s definitely… the guy was a two-division champion, and he has talent. But is the hard work now there or not there anymore? You have to ask him this question.”
Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since July of 2021 when he broke his leg in the trilogy match against Dustin Poirier.