A win will open up a world of possibilities. Defeat could well be the middle of the end.
In just over two weeks’ time, Conor McGregor will make his UFC comeback against Donald Cerrone. Having been away for 15 months, the Dubliner is keen to get back to winning, active ways, meaning ‘McGregor Masvidal’ could be on the horizon too.
Despite stating that he is determined to face UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in The Octagon again, McGregor looks to be preparing to beat a new path.
He takes on Cerrone at 170lbs and a victory over the 49-fight veteran could see him stick around in the welterweight division a while. In an interview with ESPN, UFC president Dana White once again teed up a potential fight with Jorge Masvidal.
As much as he says he is against the bout, it has not stopped White from doing his part to pound the drum about it. White commented:
“Conor has this idea, too, that if things don’t go his way and he [doesn’t] get the fight [with Khabib], he’ll have had a 170 fight in his pocket again and he’s considering a Masvidal fight. I think everybody knows what I think about it. I think it’s a bad idea.”
“Conor gets pissed off when I say it’s a bad idea, and he’s like, ‘You think I can’t beat Masvidal?’ I’m not saying you can’t beat Masvidal. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day, but why? Why go after that fight when you could possibly just wait?”
Masvidal was the UFC’s Fighter of the Year in 2019 and recorded three impressive wins over Darren Till (second round KO), Ben Askren (first round KO) and Nate Diaz (TKO). That win over Diaz came when the Stockton native was stopped from continuing after a bad cut above his eye. It also saw him crowned the B.M.F [Baddest Mother****er] champion too.
White and the UFC specially commissioned that B.M.F belt for the November bout at Madison Square Garden but it looks like it will be an accolade that entices many fighters in the coming years. It is certainly a crown McGregor would like to wear.
“Conor wants that belt from Masvidal,” said White. “I did it as a one off and like I said, it was fun. It was awesome. We’ll see what happens.”
For ‘The Notorious’, he must first defeat Cerrone before he looks any further. Underestimate ‘Cowboy’, a man with 36 career wins in MMA, and it could push McGregor closer to retirement.
White talks McGregor Masvidal, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson and 2020 plans here:
