Who Is the Mystery Opponent of Conor McGregor ?

Conor McGregor possibly made an announcement of the venue and date for his much anticipated UFC return. However, McGregor did not tell his fans the opponent he is going to face in Dublin this December.

The lightweight division has his champion and the challenger at the moment. Khabib Nurmagomedov is most likely going to defend his title against Tony Ferguson. Though there are a few interesting matchups for McGregor in the division, not many fights make sense for the former lightweight champion.

A fight with Donald Cerrone would certainly be an interesting fight to watch. However, it doesn’t make sense for McGregor to fight Cerrone since he just lost to Gaethje. McGregor can fight the winner of Al Laquinta and Dan Hooker. It would be a pretty winnable fight for McGregor. However, a win against Cerrone, Al or Dan Hooker won’t strengthen Conor’s argument for another title shot.

There are two opponents Conor McGregor can fight to claim another shot at the title. It’s either Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje. Though Poirier lost the match against Nurmagomedov he was the interim lightweight champion. Hence it will make sense for McGregor to fight him. Also considering that it will be a rematch, that fight in Dublin will be massive.

On the other hand, we have Justin Gaethje who knocked out Donald Cerrone in UFC Vancouver. He is on a 3 fight win streak with three first-round finishes. It’s safe to say that Gaethje is the next in line for the title shot after Tony Ferguson. So it seems necessary that McGregor faces Gaethje before he can ask for the rematch with Nurmagomedov for the title.

Gaethje and McGregor also have a beef between them since McGregor asked for the rematch with Nurmagomedov after UFC 242. Gaethje not only suggested that McGregor doesn’t deserve a rematch, but he also said that the Irishman is retired. So there seems to be an interesting storyline developing between McGregor and Gaethje. In addition to that, both of them are top-ranked in the lightweight division.

Stylistically, Gaethje and McGregor is a great matchup. McGregor has always struggled against fighters who are good on the ground. However, Gaethje will not be willing to take the fight to the ground even if he is an elite level wrestler. hence McGregor will be the favorite going into the fight since he is a better striker than Gaethje.

However, considering the changes in game plan Gaethje has brought in his last few fights he will surely be a tough matchup for McGregor.
No matter who Conor McGregor fights, his fans just want him back inside the octagon.