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It was less than a year ago when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White insisted that top 170-pound contender Jorge Masvidal was “too big” to be fighting Conor McGregor, a former featherweight who also competed at both lightweight and welterweight.
After all, we saw what happened the last time “Notorious” fought someone “three times his size.”
I guess White was so impressed with McGregor’s performance against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 back in January that he’s softened his stance on the Irishman’s tenure at 170 pounds. And his timing could not have been better, now that “Gamebred” is in the market for a return bout.
How about McGregor vs. Masvidal on Fight Island?
“That’s a possibility,” White told the “Menace and The Man Show” (via MMA Junkie). “The (Kamaru) Usman fight is the fight that makes sense. It’s the fight that needs to happen if Masvidal wants a title shot. But there’s another interesting fight out there for him right now.”
White did not elaborate on Masvidal’s options.
It’s hard to imagine what could entice “Gamebred” outside of Usman and McGregor. The former provides the opportunity to capture welterweight gold while the latter will do more for his bank account than all his previous fights combined.
There’s also the possibility of a 170-pound grudge match against best friend-turned-bitter rival Colby Covington, but again, when you look at risk vs. reward, there’s not a lot “Chaos” can offer outside of rented models and scripted smack talk.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.