UFC Talk: Who will Conor face next?

Conor is out with a bad injury. We all know this. But we also know that he is the biggest money maker the UFC has ever known and is a massive draw. He makes stars out of people that we didn't think much about such as Nate Diaz, who I have always liked but his stock went up BIG TIME after submitting McGregor several years ago.


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It's difficult to tell if these 2 really hate eachother as much as their public opines about one another go. It could all just be a massive coordinated hype train to ensure that big PPV numbers come in. One thing is for sure though, their bouts against one another are never boring and they attract huge crowds both in person and as far as pay per view sales are concerned.

Dana White like some of his fighters and doesn't like others, just like any human but there is one thing that Dana and most other people in the world like a lot and that is money.


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testament to toughness: Imagine snapping your leg in half and then calmly sitting down to have a look at it

McGregor is still the most bankable star in the UFC no matter what he gets into and he is by far the best paid UFC superstar of all time. There isn't anyone else that even comes close. Dana White would therefore probably prefer to keep Conor relevant for a long as possible.

The other day some friends of mine and myself were talking about what we think will be Conor's first fight when he returns and the conclusion that we came to is that Dana will probably do what he did last time and give him a fight that he will almost certainly win, probably with someone that is about to retire or is looking for one big payday which is something that is all-but-guaranteed if you facing off against Conor.

We don't know who that would be but the name we came up with was Tony Ferguson, who has seen a real fall from grace since 2019 and appears to be on the way out. The coincidence about the last time he won being against Cowboy Cerrone is also something that could be a factor for UFC to market.


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Unless it is buried somewhere that I can't find I don't think these two have ever faced off against one another. If I am wrong about that I feel a bit ashamed but it isn't easy keeping up with every single fight that has ever happened. Let's just say that I don't think that they have.

There are a couple of reasons why this would be a great fight and the one that is probably the most important to Dana White is the fact that at least on paper, McGregor looks like he could win this one. Tony tends to come out of the gate screaming and this can be very entertaining even though it has actually worked to his own detriment in the past couple of years. He isn't the best at saving energy for later in the fight, but it could easily be said that the same is true of McGregor.

Also, neither one of these guys are boring fighters. They don't bide their time and they go in for the kill constantly.

The biggest reason why this fight would be great from Dana's point of view is that if Conor can pull off a win, especially by KO or submission, it would propel him back into the spotlight and make it possible for Dana to give him an undeserved shot at the belt again. I've always said that the system the UFC uses to determine who is going to go for the belt doesn't seem to make a lot of sense as people in the top 5 are routinely "leapfrogged" because someone below them is able to generate a lot of hype and talk a good game to create controversy.

Conor is the king of this.

The fact of the matter is that Conor has a ton of negotiating power since any PPV he is involved in ends up having massive numbers so while I don't think that White and the top UFC brass would ever give him a chance at the belt right away, in the end a lot of the decision about who Conor will face next will probably be left up to Conor.

At the moment Conor keeps harping on about how he wants another shot at Poirier, but this could be bad news for Dana, since a defeat by The Diamond would kind of put McGregor out of the top spot for good.

I think that a Tony Ferguson vs McGregor would be an amazing choice for the UFC and of course, it would be an amazing fight to watch and would probably break PPV records yet again.

What do you think?



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Retirement. He is a joke and self-destructive.

A poor example of any sports hero.

Nate is Nate. That's just him and his headspace. For him to get to fight... He has to be emotional. It's his way...

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I think retirement is not far off in Conor's future but he is far to arrogant to do it now.

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The reason why people don't do business with him is he is a liability.

I'm not sure if it's all the cocaine or the success. But he just demands more money when obviously he's not even worth what he's previously been hyped up to be.

He is way past his prime and has already made himself a has been.

What kind of champion hit some old guy? He makes Nate Diaz look like a gentleman.

I would much rather see someone with actual talent and skill at fighting.

Connor is a one dimensional striker.

He is pretty talented at boxing. But really other than that... Is just selling a product. And people arnt buying it anymore.
Ship sailed sunk and is lost at sea...

However you are completely correct when you say he doesn't have the intelligence to understand what has already happened.

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What kind of champion hit some old guy? He makes Nate Diaz look like a gentleman.

This is a very very true point and it was just one of many outside-of-the-octagon dick moves on his part. It's funny that you would say that about Diaz because you are absolutely correct. Diaz was seen as the badboy dickhead right up to the point where he faced an even bigger one.

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And this guy thought making an idiot of himself would be good business...

Nate is bad. For reasons. That guy is BJJ blackbelt. Cardio for days. Stops extreme mountianbike riding to blaze one and finishes it while riding...

Yeah Connor got brutalized fighting nate. And showed the world Nate deserves a chance at higher work.

Connor? He can take his money and be a douche and get into fights that isn't paid. I'd only watch to root for his opponent. And when Connor loses? I'm celebrating.

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I don't know why, but I have a feeling we could see Michael Chandler vs Conor. I am even ready to say, that Michael could agree not to take Conor down, and have a stand up fight.

I would much prefer Tony vs Mcgregor, but El Cuicui just got knocked out in the sparring session last week, so I don't know if it's advised.

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Interesting take. I think Chandler would clean the floor with him though and this is why I don't think that one will happen. All of us fans want to believe that the matchups are about the sport but for the mgmt at UFC and all other fighting promotions it is about making money. Dana doesn't want Conor to lose or retire.

I hadn't heard about Tony getting KO'd in sparring... this will probably make the Conor / Tony fight even more likely. Dana would love to see Conor get a rise out of the crowd with a KO and Tony probably knows the end is nigh and should just take one last big payout.

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To be honest, we had such a great year in term of fights, I think it's going to be difficult for the UFC to top that up, and I don't think a Conor fight will change this.

The company has now much more interesting characters, better fighters, that could draw some numbers in a few years.

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Yeah it has been a pretty great year. There were tons of fights that I consider to be the best of all time in 2021. Of course maybe we all just feel this way because Covid shut everything down for a while.

Conor is quickly becoming boring with his attitude. I don't think many people actually support him anymore, they just turn up to see him hopefully lose.

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Seriously hoped he would hang up his gloves as he is just embarrassing himself and tarnishing his name these days. A great champ knows when to quit.

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