The UFC fans have spoken, and they have found the perfect opponent for Conor McGregor. Initially, the fans were waiting for the Irishman to stand on his promise and fight Michael Chandler. However, with Chandler now having moved on from the Irishman in pursuit of UFC gold and is fighting Charles Oliveira, fans have found a perfect replacement for the ‘Mystic Mac;.
It all started off when a popular MMA page posted a quote from Jorge Masvidal where the former BMF champion talked about returning to the octagon in 2-25 after a brief stint at boxing.
This immediately led to people fancasting the two the biggest summer blockbuster of next year.
“MCGREGOR VS CURRENT MASVIDAL IS A TOSS UP”
MCGREGOR VS CURRENT MASVIDAL IS A TOSS UP
— N20374874839 (@Njk29840938) September 26, 2024
One Twitter account even made an entire fight poster with the tale of the tape for a potential clash between the pair,
“Hear me out….”
Hear me out….https://t.co/vWfXYutra6
— The Fight Lab (@The_FightLab) September 26, 2024
Another fan saw the pair taking each other on in 2025 as both fighters don’t have their next fights booked yet,
“McGregor vs Masvidal 2025”
McGregor vs Masvidal 2025
— Jeff W. (@jeff_winslow) September 26, 2024
This fan was wondering whether Masvidal himself was hinting at a fight against Conor McGregor,
“Mcgregor vs Masvidal??”
Mcgregor vs Masvidal??
— MADxDOG (@madxd0g2x) September 26, 2024
According to this fan, McGregor vs. Masvidal is the perfect fight stylistically, and in terms of PPV sales,
“@TheNotoriousMMA vs @GamebredFighter would be huge and stylistically it would be an exciting fight @danawhite pls make this happen”
@TheNotoriousMMA vs @GamebredFighter would be huge and stylistically it would be an exciting fight @danawhite pls make this happen
— Hadeeth Fargo (@hadeeth_sakha) September 27, 2024
Another fan believes it’s the only realistic fight for ‘The Notorious’ in his return to the octagon,
“Thats the only approachable fight for Conor”
Thats the only approachable fight for Conor
— Nattsøkeren (@Psychaitrist69) September 26, 2024
To be fair, it makes sense. Both fighters are way past their primes. And their recent records don’t inspire a lot of confidence. However, stylistically, they are evenly matched, just like their over the top personalities. And Masvidal, for one, would jump at the sight of a McGregor fight.
Afterall, if it does come to pass, the Miami native could really make up for all the money he has claimed the promoters never paid him for the Nate Diaz boxing match.
However, not everyone thinks the Irishman is a big fight at the moment. In fact, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria claims that he would turn down a fight against ‘The Notorious’.
Topuria would decline a McGregor fight
Topuria is one of the biggest PPV sells in the UFC at the moment, having captured the hearts of the fans and with a fight with Max Holloway on the horizon.
All that said, a fight with McGregor would make his career. Win or lose, the money and the publicity would be enough to propel him to some serious heights for the rest of his career.
None of it matters however, since the Spaniard does not want to fight the Irishman because he believes there are bigger fights, as revealed in an interview with Ibai Llanos on YouTube,
“I’m telling you that if they offered me a fight with [McGregor], I’d say no because there are bigger fights than him…He’s not the McGregor that moved the masses. He’s a McGregor who represents alcohol and drugs more than sport.”
‘El Matador’ has bigger fights on his mind than ‘The Notorious‘. But truthfully speaking, despite not having fought in over three years, there is no other fighter in the roster at the moment who can attract even a fraction of the attention that the Irishman has on him at all times. But hey, Topuria is a bona fide UFC champion. So, he’s earned the right to refuse!
