According to Daniel Cormier, Islam Makhachev should seriously consider a fight against Conor McGregor if he can defend his belt against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. With McGregor returning to the UFC in June 2024, he will be open to new opponents following his fight against Michael Chandler. McGregor’s star power in the promotion is not to be taken lightly, and Daniel Cormier believes Makhachev should grab this opportunity immediately.
In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, Cormier was joined by Ben Askren. While discussing what might be next for Makhachev, Cormier brought up an extremely interesting point. He said,
“Conor McGregor while we crap on him, he was the one who started a lot of this double champ and all this other stuff. For the first time Khabib’s team said something positive about Conor McGregor. I believe that it’s with the idea that down the line, you can get that fight for Islam Makhachev. Because you know what it did for Khabib in terms of star quality. Look what it did for Dustin Poirier.”
After his win against McGregor, ‘The Eagle’ became a massive superstar globally, and is currently the second most followed MMA fighter on social media. In addition to the fame and attention, Nurmagomedov also made his biggest payday against Conor McGregor.
A similar life-changing amount awaits Makhachev if he secures a fight against Conor McGregor and emerges victorious. However, a lot has to fall in place for the fight to materialize.
Is Islam Makhachev vs Conor McGregor a possibility?
For starters, both McGregor and Makhachev need to win their respective fights before even thinking of an opportunity to face each other. If both men emerge victorious, the UFC will seriously consider booking this fight given the backstory and the amount of business it can generate.
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Since ‘The Notorious’ will never get a chance at a rematch against Nurmagomedov, a fight against his protege, Makhachev, might be his next best option. In addition to this, it will be another chance for McGregor to fight and win back a belt he once held. Thus, while there are a lot of moving pieces, Makhachev vs McGregor might be the biggest fight the UFC can book at the moment.
