According to MMA analyst Chael Sonnen, Conor McGregor has five options in terms of opponents for his next fight—whenever that next fight winds up happening.
Sonnen explored the options in a video posted to his official YouTube channel, using a whiteboard to share his picks.
See his picks below:
Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal
Sonnen started by suggesting a fight between McGregor and Jorge Masvidal, who captured the first and only ‘BMF’ title with a stoppage of Nate Diaz back in November, 2019.
“That fight, for me, makes a lot of sense,” Sonnen said. “It’s also compelling, and I would like to see the BMF on the line. I never loved the idea that this [BMF title] is a one-off. Whys it got to be a one-off?
“Let’s see Conor, let’s see the BMF.”
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz or Nick Diaz
Sonnen continued, expressing his belief that there will never be a bad time for a tie-breaking trilogy fight between McGregor and Nate Diaz. That being said, he also sees Nate’s older brother Nick as an option for McGregor.
“You can do it it when they’re both on highs, you can do it when they’re both on lows,” Sonnen said of a McGregor vs. Diaz trilogy fight. “Anywhere over, I would estimate, the next three years, anywhere you want to play that card is going to be the right time regardless of previous more recent outcomes by either athlete.”
“I did put Diaz and not Nate,” Sonnen specified, explaining that he sees Nick Diaz as a viable McGregor foe, too. “I’m in for Nate, but there’s also talk of Nick. I think that’s more wishful thinking.
“I think Nick vs. Conor works. I know Nate vs. Conor works.”
Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Another option Sonnen sees for McGregor is a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor by submission in 2018 in the main event of the biggest pay-per-view in UFC history. Despite the outcome of their fight, their is still a ton of animosity between the two.
“Numbers don’t lie and the heat here is real,” Sonnen said of the McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov rematch. “The fact that they did 2.4 million buys in a sold-out arena, not to mention all the things they did after that… Look, we had a lot of drama leading into that fight that even involved a courtroom, some handcuffs and a judge. No sense in denying the story.
“We had some drama after the fight where Khabib goes over the cage, into the crowd, they hold up his purse, the governor and his personal security have to rush out the back… there was a lot of stuff there to set you up for a rematch.
“That was a competitive fight in its moments. In its moments it was very competitive.”
Conor McGregor vs. Georges St-Pierre
Sonnen concluded by suggesting a fight between Conor McGregor and former UFC welterweight and middleweight champ Georges St-Pierre, who is currently retired.
“Conor McGregor vs. Georges St-Pierre,” he said. “There’s something on that, period.
“Georges is dangling this idea of coming back, but claims he’ll only go against Khabib. I have always taken that to mean ‘I will come back for a big fight.’ The time Georges said it would only be for Khabib, Conor wasn’t even licensed [to compete]. Conor wasn’t even in the mix. So I think it’s very relevant to say, if Conor’s willing to go to 170 pounds—and clearly he is—[and] if Georges is looking for something big to do, Conor’s always big. For me that one also has to be in play.”
Who do you want to see Conor McGregor fight next?