Conor McGregor might have just given the biggest indication yet as to who he’ll fight next.
McGregor, who last faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match on Aug. 26, revealed Tuesday in an interview with Ireland’s entertainment.ie that he has plenty of options available but currently is eyeing a UFC return against Tony Ferguson, who defeated Kevin Lee at UFC 216 on Oct. 7 to win the interim UFC lightweight championship.
McGregor, of course, won the UFC lightweight championship from Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 last November — The Notorious’ most recent mixed martial arts bout — so a fight to unify the title certainly makes sense, even if it’s not etched in stone.
“I’ve got everyone clawing at me, trying to get at me, and that’s from multiple sports, multiple organizations, multiple everything,” McGregor said, as transcribed by MMAFighting.com. “It’s been like that for a long, long time, I feel, so it’s just another day for me.
“I know there are many contenders in the UFC. There are many boxing contenders as well. What interests me is certainly a UFC bout, certainly a defense of my lightweight title. There is a fighter with the interim lightweight belt. I feel that will be next. We’ll see how negotiations go.”
It’s important to note that a lot could change. McGregor previously mentioned the possibility of fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in Russia and even teased a rematch with Mayweather, saying this week he believes he’d defeat the undefeated boxer.
There’s also a chance McGregor could opt for a third fight against Nate Diaz. They’ve already had two legendary UFC fights, with each one scoring a victory.
“The Diaz trilogy is also there,” McGregor said, per MMAFighting. “I can defend my belt against Nate. Maybe we can persuade one of these boxing opponents to step into the octagon, or there’s also boxing bouts as well. So, there’s so many options.
“I feel to legitimize the belt — there’s an interim champion, I’m the unified champion — I feel that will be next. We are currently in contract negotiations, and we’ll see where it goes.”
No matter what, McGregor’s next challenge will be a spectacle.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
