Although Conor McGregor himself has continually stated that he wants to walk right into a title fight upon his return to the Octagon, veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan has other ideas. Rogan said on Mike Tyson’s Hotboxin’ podcast that Conor ought to take on an less competitive fight than, say, Kamaru Usman, welterweight champion. In fact, Rogan recommends that Conor avoid Usman until he’s worked through his ring rust.
“If Conor wants the most chance of success, I would say fight a guy who is a little below championship-level. Maybe like a guy on the come-up, who Conor has an advantage over, but is still a competitive fight. Give him a test. But don’t put him in there right away with Usman.
Rogan Recommends “Tune-Up Fight” For McGregor Comeback
I think, honestly, when boxers come back from a long layoff and they come back from a loss, one thing that boxers do that’s smart is they have a tune-up fight.
I think there’s a reason why they’ve been using tune-up fights forever like astute managers. They know you got to knock the dust off and you’ll be better in the next performance.”
Conor McGregor may do well to heed Rogan’s advice. In 2021, McGregor fought Dustin Poirier twice, after not fighting for a year following his knockout win over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. McGregor’s time away from the Octagon was evident in the lopsided pair of losses to Poirier, one via knockout and the other due to a broken leg sustained mid-fight.
“The Notorious” fought relentlessly on his way up as a featherweight, but after defeating Eddie Alvarez to earn the lightweight title – McGregor’s second title win – he eased up on competition, looking elsewhere. First, Conor turned his attention to boxing, and lost to Floyd Mayweather.
A return to the Octagon in 2018 to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight belt ended in a submission for McGregor, and the Irishman remained absent from competition throughout 2019. In 2020, he managed to defeat Cowboy Cerrone at 170 pounds, but 2021 saw the aforementioned pair of losses to Dustin Poirier marring the once-undefeated former champion’s record.
Conor McGregor, like many fighters, clearly does not perform well following lengthy absence from the Octagon. A tune-up fight, either at lightweight or welterweight, may well be the Irish star’s best move. If he’s serious about continuing his career at 170 pounds, a trilogy fight against Nate Diaz could well be the tune-up Conor needs to get in good enough shape to pose a real threat to Kamaru Usman.
Do you agree with Joe Rogan? Let us know in the comments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H4CfJW36IE
