Despite the Irishman’s oft-stated desire to fight for the lightweight title once more, it’s unlikely that we’ll see him compete for the belt any time soon. The Monday after reigning champ Charles Oliveira dispatched Dustin Poirier via rear naked choke early in the third round, McGregor took to Twitter to ask for his chance at 155 pound glory.
So what date am I fighting (Charles) Oliveira?” he asked on Twitter. Unfortunately for Conor, not long after the fight, UFC president Dana White all but confirmed that Justin Gaethje, not “The Notorious’, is next in line to take on Charles Oliveira.
Conor McGregor Will NOT Get LW Title Shot Next, Trades Insults with Islam Makhachev
In the post-fight press conference, the UFC boss said a Gaethje vs Oliveira fight, for which Gaethje has been clamoring all year, “makes sense”. Justin Gaethje will be thrilled with his next chance at lightweight glory, but not everybody is as excited about the idea.
Islam Makhachev, a lightweight prospect widely expected to fight for the title in future, took his chance to make fun of the Irishman.
“Your fight is on February 30,” Tweeted Makhachev. For any readers without a calendar handy, the month of February has only twenty-eight days in 2022. McGregor’s return to lightweight title contention will never come, says Islam Makhachev, just like the thirtieth day of February.
Islam Makhachev is best known, of course, as heir apparent to Khabib Nurmagomedov, former lightweight champ and longtime McGregor rival. Conor McGregor famously lost via rear naked choke in his attempt to reclaim the lightweight belt from the Dagestani back in 2018.
Khabib retired undefeated following the death of his father. Islam Makhachev appears intent on inheriting Nurmagomedocv’s legacy of a lightweight title, but it looks as if he’s inheriting a few of Khabib’s enemies too.
McGregor defaulted to his usual jab at Makhachev’s native Dagestan, replying to Islam and saying “You’re a nobody inbred.” Conor McGregor, predictably, has since deleted his Tweets.
McGregor remains sidelined thanks to a broken leg he sustained fighting Dustin Poirier back in July. With Poirier firmly out of title contention at least for the foreseeable future, a fourth fight with “El Diamante” may appeal to McGregor – who is 2-1 in the trilogy – but likely won’t mean a path back to the title.
Conor also might simply avoid the lightweight division, where he has only one victory. Admittedly, McGregor’s sole win at 155 pounds was his historic title fight against then-champion Eddie Alvarez, but in three fights at lightweight since, Conor McGregor has failed to secure a win, instead succumbing to finishes three times.
Do you think McGregor should fight for the lightweight title ever again? Let us know in the comments.
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