The good news is former UFC featherweight and current lightweight champion Conor McGregor is a star, the biggest in the sport since Ronda Rousey. The bad news is he never defended either of his belts. And as Rousey said, it’s not really your belt until if you’ve defended it.
In a commercial for sponsor BetSafe, Notorious talked about what’s next, if …
My focus is getting back into the right ring or Octagon,” said McGregor, as transcribed by Oscar Willis for The Mac Life. “2017 was historic. I have transcended both the sport of MMA and boxing. At this stage of my career, as it has been for the majority of my UFC career, potential opponents must lobby for fights with me.
“We could see Conor McGregor anywhere. I run the fight game, the fashion game, the whiskey game, or whatever the next business endeavor might be.
I have every intention of fighting in 2018 if my compensation and business development endeavors accurately reflect my influence on combat sports.
If McGregor is going to fight in 2018, the big question of course is vs. who?
In September the Irishman named eight possible fights: Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee, Nate Diaz, Paulie Malignaggi, Floyd Mayweather, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, and Georges St-Pierre. Lee and Gaethje are out due to losses. GSP’s star is rising with the win over Bisping. But given the little rise in trash talk from Mayweather, that could be a stronger possibility as well.
