Conor McGregor has pissed off so many people en route to his title shot that there is no shortage of takers willing to step in to fight him on short notice.
Presuming that Jose Aldo’s withdrawal from the main event of UFC 189 is confirmed, we’ve taken a look at the ten fighters who could replace the featherweight champion on less than three weeks notice and give our take on the likelihood of that fight being confirmed.
1. Renan Barao (33-2, 1NC)
The man who reportedly caused Aldo’s injury in sparring wouldn’t be the first fighter that the UFC would have called to save the July 11 fight card but it wouldn’t be the most far-fetched outcome. Being a teammate of Aldo’s, Barao would presumably be keen to shut the mouth of McGregor who has trash-talked Aldo’s camp for so long. The weight cut shouldn’t be an issue because Barao usually fights at bantamweight but Barao has a 135lb title shot on the horizon so would be foolish to step in.
2. Dennis Bermudez (14-4)
If Bermudez hadn’t lost his last fight then his position as replacement would have made quite a lot of sense. That would have meant he’d have eight consecutive victories behind him and he’s claimed before that he would “smash” McGregor. He’s scheduled to fight Jeremy Stephens at UFC 189 so his fitness and weight wouldn’t be an issue but that loss to Lamas makes this fight a little less intriguing for fight fans.
3. Donald Cerrone (28-6, 1NC)
Who wouldn’t love to see Cowboy v Conor at lightweight? The fan favourite has made a habit of saving fight cards by accepting bouts on short notice and we’re sure he wouldn’t shy away from the chance to welcome McGregor back to 155lbs. The chances of this happening are hindered by the fact that this fight will mean that one of either McGregor or Cerrone would lose their title shot with a defeat and the UFC won’t be too quick to ruin future fights for one of their biggest draws.
4. Nate Diaz (17-10)
We wouldn’t get our hopes up about seeing the biggest fight in terms of trash talk in the history of MMA. Lightweight Diaz has lost three out of his last four bouts but he is keen on a clash with McGregor. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t make sense because both guys are on different trajectories in their careers right now.
5. Joseph Duffy (13-1)
The curiosity factor makes this bout more interesting than it perhaps ought to be due to the fact that Joseph Duffy is the last man to beat Conor McGregor and that the Donegal lightweight looked a real world beater in his UFC debut. He made it clear that he would step in to fight The Notorious and we’re sure Conor would love to avenge one of his two losses. But the fact of the matter is that the UFC aren’t in the habit of putting fighters with just one fight in the octagon into a main/co-main event. We’d love to see it and think we probably will see it at some stage. Just not in July.
6. Frankie Edgar (19-4-1)
The Answer is probably the only candidate that would make the UFC consider setting up an interim title fight for July 11 such is his place in the division right now. Since losing to Aldo in his 145lb debut back in 2013, Edgar has gone 4-0 so he’s right up there in terms of contenders. Many thought that he was more deserving of a title shot than McGregor himself and an injury-free performance against Urijah Faber means that he’s capable of stepping up to the plate.
7. Urijah Faber (32-8)
Urijah Faber’s defeat at the hands of Edgar would suggest that The California Kid is very much behind the former UFC lightweight champion in terms of who the promotion would look to as a replacement for Aldo. Faber has gone back-and-forth with Conor McGregor in the past so there would be some fan interest in this bout but it’s certainly behind a McGregor v Edgar match-up.
8. Max Holloway (13-3)
This fight is a lot more likely than a lot of fans might think. Holloway is flying under the radar towards a title shot and many don’t realise that Blessed has gone 6-0 since Conor McGregor took a decision victory over him. The opportunity to avenge that loss and the improvements that Holloway has made since 2013 makes this fight a fascinating one. On paper, Holloway fits the bill as the perfect opponent considering that he’s top five, on an amazing run and has previous with McGregor. We reckon that the UFC would prefer to give the Hawaiian another fight, though, before putting him up there with the Aldos and McGregors of the world, just based on his age.
9. Ricardo Lamas (15-4)
Ricardo Lamas is very much in the Urijah Faber category in terms of the fact that he’d be a much more legitimate candidate for this spot if not for his last loss. He’s also had verbal exchanges with McGregor, like Faber, and even took to making a parody video of the Irish featherweight in a bid to goad him into a fight. He’s a possibility but just not as strong a possibility as Holloway, Mendes or Edgar.
10. Chad Mendes (17-2)
Mendes is the man who came closest to dethroning Jose Aldo and his place as perennial number one contender means that a title eliminator with McGregor would be one of the fairest courses of actions for the UFC to take. The only problem is that the promotion will not be jumping at the chance for Aldo v Mendes III when the American fighter has lost the last two bouts against the champion. If Mendes is to set up another title shot, the UFC will probably want him to take his time because they can’t just have an Aldo v Mendes bout every year. That’s the only reason we can see for the UFC not making this fight.
