In September UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor named eight possible opponents for his next bout: Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee, Nate Diaz, Paulie Malignaggi, Floyd Mayweather, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, and Georges St-Pierre. Ferguson beat Lee, reducing the number to seven; Gaethje lost a thriller to Eddie Alvarez, leaving six. Malignaggi and Mayweather are of course boxers, and McGregor says the next on is MMA, so that leaves just four.
Ferguson and Nurmagomedov are two of the best fighters in MMA, but are not proven PPV draws. A trilogy fight with Diaz is a must and will make millions. But the biggest fight in the Octagon may be another two-belt champion, Georges St-Pierre.
In a recent interview with Chisanga Malata for England’s The Express, GSP’s long-time coach Firas Zahabi says he’s been advocating for GSP vs. Notorious for a long time.
“I don’t think that’s crazy,” said Zahabi. “I’ve been asking for that fight for over a year and a half now. I don’t think it’s a crazy fight. I think it’s a brilliant fight.
“I think Conor McGregor is a two-belt champion, two division champ. He’s got the touch of death in his hands. He knows what he’s doing, he’s highly intelligent, highly captivated, he’s extremely dangerous. And I don’t think he fears anybody.
“So I think him and Georges would be a phenomenal fight.
“It would probably be the biggest fight in UFC history and MMA history. And that record wouldn’t be broken for ten years. So why not do it?”
St-Pierre relinquished the middleweight belt he took from Michael Bisping citing the need to take time to recover from Colitis. A potential fight with McGregor might notably speed the healing process.
