When Conor McGregor doesn’t have a fight booked, everyone has their own take on who he should fight next.
Once Tony Ferguson won the UFC interim lightweight title, the calls for Conor McGregor to unify the championship came pouring in.
At the top of the 155 lb pile is a superstar who’s fought just once in the promotion’s most-populated division and right behind him is a grinder who has amassed the most impressive win-streak the weight class has ever seen. So in order to prove who’s the best lightweight in the world, those two need to square off.
If ‘the Notorious’ wants to legitimise the belt and strengthen his legacy, that’s the fight he should take. However, that doesn’t have to be his next move.
That's the Croke Park fight https://t.co/ybXrGN8eSO
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 26, 2017
Rising UFC lightweight Joseph Duffy’s history with McGregor has been well-documented. The Donegal man scored the submission that sent the Dubliner to featherweight and ever since he’s joined the UFC, that rematch has been quietly lurking in the shadows.
While Duffy admitted that McGregor unifying the championship would restore a proper pecking order for the chasing pack, not even he thinks this is his only choice for his next move, as he told MMAJunkie.
“Not really. Not really. Look what he’s done? He’s done amazing things. He’s won the featherweight. Obviously jumped up, won the lightweight. Conor goes to boxing. But he’s done a lot of work himself also. You know, all the media stuff and everything else. Whatever his move is next, is going to be the best move for him and that’s his decision to make.”
@TheNotoriousMMA thanks Conor take them UFC belts bak to Ireland and keep the mother fuckers!! #futurechamp
— Joe Duffy (@Duffy_MMA) April 10, 2013
Duffy hit the nail on the head there. McGregor’s next move is down to one man and one man only. At this stage of his career, McGregor’s earned the right to choose whatever fight he wants next.
That is not to say that this choice shouldn’t have consequences. With an interim champion established, McGregor not fighting Ferguson next should result in his title being revoked. ‘El Cucuy’ has done more than enough to earn his crack at full champion status.
If he wants to go for another huge payday and complete the trilogy against Nate Diaz, his legacy may take a bit of a knock and some fans may be disappointed, but as long as the promotion takes measures to ensure that one of its most exciting divisions doesn’t get held up, we could have few complaints about that decision.
Tickets for Notorious are on sale now.
