The UFC 242 tournament in Abu Dhabi turned out to be very bright, but not sensational. In the main match of the evening, Khabib Nurmagomedov confidently dealt with Dustin Porier and remained at the head of the lightweight division. The Russian took a little more than two rounds to win a choke and a second time to defend the title.
It is noteworthy that even before the battle, Nurmagomedov repeatedly spoke about his desire to return to the octagon before the end of 2019. It is still unknown whether the battle will actually take place, but the circle of possible rivals of the Russian is already outlined. The first contender for the lightweight title is Tony Ferguson, and Conor McGregor is called as a fallback.
Of course, Dana White made the right choice, giving the American the opportunity to compete for the title. At the moment, Ferguson has a winning streak of 12 fights, which only Nurmagomedov can boast of. Moreover, the case of Tony is unique, because in none of these fights the title of the undisputed champion was at stake. Yes, he already fought for the time zone and even won it, but, by and large, he only gave the American the formal status of the first rating number.
In addition, both athletes are connected by a long feud, full of not only mutual insults, but also frustrated meetings. UFC matchmakers tried four times to organize a battle between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, but each time unforeseen circumstances interfered in the matter. Each of the athletes was injured twice, but it was Tony who was most unlucky. In April 2018, he owned a temporary title and was supposed to fight for an indisputable one, but a week before the fight he injured his knee. The 11th rating number of Al Yakvinta was replaced and without a chance lost to the current champion.
Subsequently, White pledged again to organize the battle between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, but eventually changed his temper to mercy. Undoubtedly, the reason for this was the impressive winning series of Tony, which cannot be ignored. At the moment, it is the sixth longest in the history of the UFC - only Demetrius Johnson, Max Holloway, Georges Saint-Pierre (all - 13 each), as well as Anderson Silva and John Jones (both 16 each) could do without defeats.
However, even such merits are not able to guarantee Ferguson a meeting with Nurmagomedov. As the head of the UFC said, it is the champion who will decide the question of the place and conduct of the fight, and his counterpart must agree to the proposed conditions. Otherwise, the chance will be missed again, and MacGregor will be replaced. In this case, Tony himself will be the only loser, because Conor will certainly provide more sales of paid broadcasts than his colleague.
It should be noted that immediate revenge with Nurmagomedov is not exactly what McGregor needs. In October, he already suffered a severe defeat from the Russian, completely losing in the fight and only slightly surpassing his opponent in the stance. Then many attributed this to the long downtime of the Irishman, who had not entered the octagon for two years, but now the situation has not changed. Since October 2018, Conor has not fought a single battle, and his last victory is still dated November 2016.
Thus, McGregor runs the risk of re-entering the cell unprepared and frustrated, which will inevitably lead to a fiasco. But if he was forgiven for one unconditional surrender in the battle with Nurmagomedov, then the second can put an end to his career. His image will be dealt a severe blow, which will instantly affect his popularity and ability to "sell" battles. Given the current state of affairs, Conor is unlikely to decide to cross the path from the depths of the division to its top again, but prefers to hang gloves on a nail and completely immerse himself in the whiskey trade.
In light of this, the ideal option for McGregor is not to chase Nurmagomedov, but to have a duel with another fighter. The Irishman never experienced a lack of attention from possible rivals, so finding a worthy opponent is not difficult. It is enough to note that Dustin Porrier has already shown interest in the battle with Conor.
“I think it makes sense now to have a rematch between me and Conor,” Porrier wrote on his Twitter page.
McGregor's answer was not long in coming.
“I smeared you in 90 seconds, goldfinch. You should talk about me with great respect. "McGregor is not the next." It is always McGregor! McGregor - the goal! Is always! Say it and I will think about the fight, ”said the Irishman.
At the same time, even a duel with Porrier cannot be considered an ideal scenario for McGregor. Previously, the athletes had already met among themselves, and then the Irishman had one and a half minutes to send his counterpart to the knockout. Sure, a lot has changed over the five years, but Dustin's style hasn't changed. He remains an exclusively drummer, whom Conor literally did not notice in the octagon.
The battle with Porrier is not able to prepare McGregor for the next meeting with Nurmagomedov. Of course, the fight will turn out spectacular, because it will be held on its feet, but will show only the difference in the level of shock equipment. Dustin was never famous for his wrestling skills and very rarely transferred his opponents to the ground. Yes, he perfectly showed how he could suddenly conduct a “guillotine” or other method from the category of pain and asphyxiation, but he could not drag Conor into the stalls. The American will have neither skills, nor physical strength, nor desire.
This is not to say that this fight does not carry any intrigue. Since 2014, both athletes have come a long way, and Porrier’s progress is truly amazing. That failure in the fight with McGregor actually put an end to his featherweight career, but the American found the strength and was reborn as a lightweight. From that moment, he cracked down on many stars, including former champs Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway and Justin Gage.
But the Irishman was always at a slightly different level and dealt with almost all opponents without visible problems. The only exceptions were the impenetrable Nate Diaz and the same Nurmagomedov. At the same time, it is enough to compare how the fights with Alvarez evolved at McGregor and Porrier. With great difficulty, Dustin prevailed and was very close to defeat, and Conor did not leave Eddie any chance.
In light of this, the best option for McGregor will be not another showdown in the rack with Porje, but a battle with Islam Makhachev. At the moment, this option does not seem to be the most probable, because the Russian takes only 14th place in the lightweight rating, but it is he who makes sense for both fighters.
As for the Irishman, he gets the opportunity to test himself in a fight with a wrestler, whose level is noticeably superior to most of the top athletes of the division. Makhachev is not as physically strong as Nurmagomedov, but in technology he is not much inferior to his teammate. He will undoubtedly create problems for Conor and become either an insurmountable obstacle for him or a step on the way to returning the title.
In addition, the victory over Makhachev is practically a guarantee of revenge with Nurmagomedov. Everyone knows that there is serious tension between the two camps, which Russian athletes have repeatedly confirmed. Having gained the upper hand over the second most powerful member of the Habib team, Conor will firmly sit in the head of his enemy and literally force him to agree to a return battle.
As for Makhachev, he is in a win-win situation. Success in the battle with McGregor guarantees him not only a solid leap in the ranking, but also an unprecedented fee to date. During his career, the Irishman made more than one soldier’s wealth, only agreeing to share a cage with them. The fight will surely be one of the main events of the year, and White will not skimp on the fee.
The defeat will not affect the tournament position of Islam. Of course, it will become a serious moral blow for him, but in terms of prospects it is unlikely to have a serious impact. Makhachev will remain in the top 15, and in the wake of popularity, he will be able to agree on a duel with another star rival.