All eyes will be on Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC in a couple of weeks, as he fights in the octagon for the first time in 12 months against Dustin Poirier. However, there have constantly been questions about what will be next for the Irishman after that bout, as he revealed in the lead up to the event that he was interested in returning to boxing and facing off against multi-weight boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
The door for a potentially huge fight could have been left open, as the WBC president has now revealed what it would take for McGregor to fight for a world title.
UFC News: President Claims He Must Beat Ranked Opponent
The message was clear from the WBC President, as Mauricio Sulaiman claimed that the Irishman would need to beat a ranked opponent in order to earn a title opportunity. He also revealed that he believes that McGregor could achieve his goal of becoming a boxing world champion, as there have been numerous examples in the history of the sport of stars crossing over from different combats to compete in the world of boxing.
However, should McGregor want to win a world title, then he must first determine on the weight classification that he wants to compete in. His last, and only boxing bout came against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, as the American knocked out McGregor in the tenth round. That fight was contested at light middleweight, while Pacquiao is currently holding the WBA welterweight title.
UFC News: Will He Need To Beat A Ranked Boxer?
McGregor’s aim has been clear throughout his talks about returning to the ring, as he is focused on a fight with the Filipino great. It isn’t known whether he will have to beat a ranked fighter to challenge for the WBA title, as the claims about beating a ranked opponent were made by the president of the WBC.
However, should McGregor need to face a welterweight ranked boxer first, then there are some notable names that could make for huge events. Names such as Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia and Keith Thurman dominate the top rankings. It’s unlikely that McGregor will open talks about his next steps until after his upcoming fight against Poirier, but it is clear that the most popular UFC fighter of all-time and one of the greatest boxers of all-time going toe-to-toe is an event that will be very easy to sell.
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