Former Super Bowl Champion Ryan Clark Disagrees With Joe Rogan’s Idea for Conor McGregor: No to Tune-Up Fight

Much like his arch-nemesis, Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier, Conor McGregor has found himself in a similar boat. With three losses in the lightweight division and no title shot on the horizon, ‘The Notorious’ is gunning for the 170lbs title. The Irish mixed martial artist suffered a career-threatening injury at UFC 264 in 2021 and hasn’t stepped into the octagon since.

While on the sidelines, he has kept numerous fighters in his crosshairs; UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is one such name. The Nigerian Nightmare is indeed a horrible match-up for the superstar as he excels at wrestling, something McGregor has struggled to deal with throughout his career. With just three bouts at 170 and a loss to Nate Diaz, even this move up seems too daunting.

Also Read: Conor McGregor’s Partner Dee Devlin Has a Net Worth Around 10 Times More Than Floyd Mayweather & Joe Rogan’s Partners Combined

Ryan Clark backs Conor McGregor to face Kamaru Usman next

In the recent RC & DC show with former UFC champion Daniel Cormier, Clark revealed his thoughts about the match-up. The former Super Bowl champion stated that this fight would be in the best interest of UFC, despite McGregor’s recent injury. He disagreed with Joe Rogan’s notion of offering McGregor a tune-up fight and a chance to build himself up.

He said, “We talk about his obsession and confidence in himself, but if you make him fight 170, you have to remember. This is the guy who lost to Nate Diaz as well at 170. And so if you put him in there, you are not going to give him number 7, you are not going to give him number 8 at 170.”

“What if he loses that fight? What if it is something where a guy can take him out of his skillset and make him fight on his terms? And so for the promotion, it is just not smart. For the promotion, he jumps in and he fights Kamaru and if he wins or loses, it is great for everybody.”

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Clark believes it would be too risky to put him up against a top contender, which could potentially kill the chances of the super fight ever happening if he loses. On the contrary, he firmly believes an unfavorable result against Usman will not impact his star power at all.

Do you agree with Ryan Clark or Joe Rogan? Share your thoughts below.