Conor McGregor is the biggest Ultimate Fighting Championship star alive, and when he steps into the Octagon it’s always an anticipated combat sports event. Conor McGregor’s next fight is yet to be scheduled, but a return in the second quarter of 2022 is likely for Machine Gun Kelly’s new favorite fighter.

Who will Conor McGregor fight next?

When the “Notorious” one does make his return in 2022, three names stand above the rest as perfect matchups for the Irishman. Those three men that should cash in on the McGregor lottery ticket should be Youtuber turned boxer Jake Paul, Michael Chandler, and Charles Oliveira.

• The Problem Child: With McGregor at a bit of a low point in his MMA career, maybe another jump into boxing against that sports biggest lightning rod makes sense. Love it or hate it, Paul has been a media sensation for combat sports. A pairing of McGregor and Paul in a boxing ring would no doubt mean big money for the UFC. And a unlike the Irishman’s matchup with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in 2017, this is a very winnable matchup.
• Iron Mike: Former Bellator champ and UFC lightweight contender Chandler has called for a fight with McGregor on many occassions. With both men in the midst of two-fight losing streaks, a clash to avoid the first three-fight losing skids of their career could be as pressurized a situation as a title fight for these two stars of the sport.
• A Title Fight?:As absurd as the idea is of a fighter on the heels of back-to-back TKO losses getting a title shot is, McGregor versus lightweight champion Charles Oliveira isn’t out of the question. The Brazilian made it clearly recently that he would be a “fool” to pass on a massive money-making opportunity against “Notorious.” Although unlikely, this fight happening next isn’t impossible.

UFC 264 Recap: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier

The trilogy fight in the years-long saga that is McGregor vs Poirier was a nightmarish moment for the Irish superstar. Not only did the notoriously (see what I did there?) fast starter have a rough first round that two judges scored a 10-8 for the American, but McGregor broke his left leg in a failed attempt to bounce back from a January loss to “The Diamond.”

What happened: In a matter of five minutes, McGregor went from a man on a mission looking to reclaim his glory to a fighter stuck on his butt and getting asked questions on how it all went wrong by UFC broadcast analyst Joe Rogan. McGregor has suffered a few losses in his career, but this was by far the most difficult to swallow.

The fallout: Following the bout, McGregor had surgery on his damaged limb, which included a steel rod being inserted into his broken fibula. He is expected to recover for several weeks in the US before an eventual return to Ireland.

The roadmap: As far as a return to the Octagon, spring or summer 2022 is the likely next time we see the 33-year-old grace the Octagon.

What makes Conor McGregor so popular?

A transcendent talent: McGregors has become a transcendent MMA star because of his ability to talk an absurd amount of trash, and back it up in the cage to the tune of an 86% knockout rate. Plus. he has “it” factor oozing out of his ears and is often the coolest guy in whatever room he’s in.

• His “it” factor is so palpable it deserves its own entourage. He is the type of transcendent talent that rarely comes along in any sport, and MMA found theirs from the green isle of Ireland.
• For a long stretch — from 2011 to ’16 to be exact — he won a lot more than he lost, and everyone loves a winner. But since then, McGregor has had a rough spell in losing four of his last five (including against Mayweather in boxing).
• McGregor is a walking news story wherever he goes. The one instance came in 2021 at the MTV VMA’s, when the MMA star tried to slap around rapper Machine Gun Kelly
• However, despite the setback against Poirier his appeal is likely unchanged because as much as people love a winner, they also gravitate to a former great trying to rebuild himself, and give fans another taste of those epic performances they’ve been missing.

Conor McGregor net worth

The measure of a fighter is often down to the money they’ve made throughout their career. Conor McGregor’s net worth is estimated to be near $192 million.