As the dust settled after the Diaz rematch, McGregor, suited and bespectacled, sat down for the press conference and began musing on his what comes next. UFC 202 saw Conor McGregor avenge his sole UFC loss to Nate Diaz in a 5 round war that left the latter's face looking like a plate of pasta fazool.
In the press conference afterwards the questions about what comes next came raining down and instead of sticking to one defined path, Conor left a few doors open. As he said himself, "There's many, many things in the pipeline."
McGregor's long-term goal has been to become a dual-weight champion in the UFC. A feat he achieved in Cage Warriors when he held both the Featherweight and Lightweight titles. If White gets his way then holding both belts will be impossible, at least in the near future.
With news emerging that McGregor could be set for a 6-month layoff due to injury, the Crumlin native could have a lot of time to assess his options. Now that the ball is back in his court and the 'game is under control', don't be surprised if he ignores the wishes of Dana White.
Defend The Featherweight Title Against Jose Aldo
The option that the UFC brass and poor old Dana White wishes McGregor would take. Unfortunately for Mr. White, there are a lot of signs pointing him away. When asked about a possible return to 145 lbs on last Monday's edition of Ariel Helwani's MMA hour, John Kavanagh said:
"I don't really see the point in it. With all due respect to the 45 guys, especially after that fight with Nate, what are they going to do? What's anyone going to do to him? I just think anyone he fights at that weight class, it's almost like he's cheating with the amount of power he has. He can make the weight, don't get me wrong about that. And he might do it, just to spite me."
McGregor's desire to be a dual wright champion could inspire him to make what would be a gruesome cut to 145 lbs. He also doesn't believe that he would be stripped of his belt if he didn't return to the featherweight division and when asked he has this to say:
I don't think they're gonna do that I mean how can they do that? If they wanna give my belt to the guy I KO'd in 13 seconds and bury that division in the prelims or the Fightpass stuff, cos that's what they're gonna do.
How long was I going back and forth with Jose? That must have been a two year build up. He pulled out, last minute, I continued to fight someone else, then we rescheduled. A two year, round the world deal with that boy [Jose Aldo] and then he stepped in and I beat him in 13 seconds. I mean, it's hard for me to get excited about that.
McGregor seems confident that he won't be stripped of the featherweight division but having just completed his second fight at welterweight, it would be seen as a mockery to take a third fight in a different weight class and still retain the belt.
Do The Trilogy With Diaz At 155 lbs
The fight that the world is still reeling from is the one that many want to see again. After a 5 round war with Nate Diaz and a hefty chunk of change made for all parties involved, it could be the smart thing to do. But the UFC is not in the habit of giving rematches immediately. The matchmaking system operates by creating the best fights and that means pitting in-form fighters against in-form fighters.
With the fight score now set at 1-1, the final fight of this trilogy will take place but Dana White insists that it will not be McGregor's next fight. He says that the Irishman has just two options: he can defend his featherweight title at 145 lbs or he can vacate the belt and fight Eddie Alvarez for the Lightweight belt at 155 lbs. H doesn't want to see McGregor vs Diaz 3 yet. Speaking to Fox after UFC 202 White said,
"We're definitely not doing this a third time right now."
Nate Diaz has said that he won't be fighting again until his rematch with Conor McGregor so the UFC have an incentive to bring back a man who is surely now one of the biggest draws within the organisation.
WWE Crossover
There has been more than a couple of signs suggesting that McGregor could soon make an appearance in the WWE. Let's review the evidence and bathe in the in conspiritorial bliss. 1. He has called the entire WWE roster a bunch of pussies and created a Twitter beef with the likes of Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle. 2. He was challenged by Brock Lesnar to come to WWE and kick ass as he did in the UFC. 3. Finn Balor (now injured) has won the new WWE Universal Championship, setting up an extremely marketable Ireland v Ireland crossover stroyline.
Perhaps the biggest sign of all was McGregor fueling speculation after his victory over Nate Diaz, stating that his future could lie outside of the sport of MMA.
"I’ve got to talk about what’s next, there’s a lot of options. Some might not be this sport, so we’ll see. I’ve got to sit down and see what piece of the pie they’re offering me now, and take it from there.”
Not exactly music to the ears of the new UFC owners.
Challenge Eddie Alvarez For The Lightweight Belt
Eddie Alvarez has made no secret of the fact that he wants to fight McGregor. The reason why Nate Diaz is happy to be rocking a face like a melted welly and Rafael dos Anjos is currently cursing his left foot are one and the same; when you fight Conor McGregor, you earn big money.
Eddie Alvarez was not impressed with McGregor vs. Diaz 2 https://t.co/TYfk0wCUa7
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) August 22, 2016
As mentioned, McGregor wants to become a dual weight champion at Featherweight and Lightweight like he did in Cage Warriors, and if he wants to do that he needs to take out Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez is fresh off a convincing first round finish over Rafael dos Anjos and will surely have watched with green eyes as Diaz added zeros to his bank balance.
Dana White cited a title fight with Alvarez as a potential fight for McGregor when speaking to TMZ but the Irishman would have to vacate his featherweight belt before taking that fight. Lots to think about and as McGregor said his post-fight press conference:
"We've got a lot to talk about, but I'm in a beautiful, beautiful position right now and that was built through hard work. And I'm gonna capitalise on that."
It seems that McGregor has done what he promised and taken control of the game again, now he can sit back and enjoy the benefits his lofty position affords him.
