After a powerful left hand led the two fighters to clinch, McGregor landed a series of brutal shoulder strikes before stunning Cerrone with a head kick (ironically, that’s “Cowboy’s” signature move) and then finishing him with five heavy left hands before the referee stepped in to call it off.
Fans are praising McGregor, not just for his spectacular performance, but for how he behaved before and after the fight. During the media circus the week prior, “Notorious” was confident but also calm, focused, and wholly respectful of Cerrone, both as a fighter and a man. Instead of bringing his standard Rage-Against-The-Machine-meets-frat-bro energy, the Irishman had the demeanor of the witty uncle who always tells the best stories at Thanksgiving.
After finishing Cerrone and embracing him, McGregor then strutted across the cage to embrace Cowboy’s grandmother, Jerry Cerrone. From striking a senior citizen in a Dublin bar to now hugging the sweetest of old ladies, this moment marked McGregor’s metamorphosis into Good Guy McGregor. He’ll kick you in the face, but then he’ll hug your gam-gam—in a completely platonic way. This is the content you want to see.
All last week, McGregor has been referring to his 2020 return as a “season,” stating that he’d like to stay as active as possible. In his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, McGregor implied that he’d fight anybody, he does not care who.
“Any one of these mouthy fools can get it,” he told Rogan. “All of them. Every single one of them can get it, Joe. It does not matter. I’m back, and I’m ready.”
With so much fire in his belly, and McGregor’s mention of a possible March return, we break down five opponents we’d like to see him take on next.
With a 21-2 record and wins over big names like Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and James Vick, Justin “The Highlight Reel” Gaethje would prove to be a challenge for McGregor. Both fighters come out of the gate fast, and many fans feel as though Gaethje is deserving of a top-five fight before contending for the lightweight belt.
Seeing as McGregor was out for over a year and that he just beat an opponent that many expected him to, it seems fair to have him compete in at least one more non-championship fight against rising talent before attempting to reclaim his belt.
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Jorge Masvidal
Ok, so Jorge Masvidal may have blown his UFC 246 appearance by weirdly showing up in just a Versace robe (the same one McGregor wore while training for his fight against Floyd Mayweather), but that doesn’t take away from the year he’s had. In 2019, “Gamebred” put away rising star Darren Till, KO’d Ben Askren in 12 seconds with a flying knee, and then claimed the BMF (Baddest Motherfucker) belt by forcing a doctor stoppage over Nate Diaz in round three. He’s bigger than McGregor and known for his extreme toughness inside the cage.
With so much momentum behind both athletes, this would be a huge pay-per-view draw and an actual test of McGregor’s ability in the 170-pound weight class.
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Max Holloway
Former UFC Featherweight champ Max Holloway has had a tough go lately. Last year, the champ went 1-2, losing to Dustin Poirier at lightweight (155 pounds), logging a predictable and expected win against Frankie Edgar, and then finally losing his belt to Alexander Volkanovski. Still, Holloway is a masterful striker and, as many forget, was the first man ever to go the distance with McGregor in 2013.
Their bout took place during McGregor’s 2013-2015 tear through the featherweight division, and Holloway stood out as the only man to go the distance with Mystic Mac. The fight would be easy to promote and, though it’s far from a tune-up for McGregor, a decisive win over Holloway would help to resolidify McGregor as the GOAT.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov
Dana White has been vocal about the rematch between McGregor and undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov happening in the near future. For one, it’s a huge PPV draw, with the last one raking in 2.4 million buys. Second, McGregor is keen on avenging his fourth-round submission loss, and whether he can do it is a question that fans want answered.
Lastly, it’d be good for the sport, and McGregor’s image, if he could approach the rematch with the same light-hearted feel good vibes that he did at UFC 246, compared to the eerily dark and hate-filled energy that he brought to the 2018 bought against the Russian.
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Nate Diaz
In 2015, McGregor landed a career-defining knockout over featherweight legend, Jose Aldo. Shortly after, Nate Diaz stepped up to challenge a seemingly invincible McGregor and shocked the world by tapping him out in the second round. The two ran it back five months later, and McGregor managed a unanimous decision win in what was dubbed an instant classic of a fight. This is a bout that needs no extra hype behind it! You could film McGregor and Diaz fighting in a parking lot on an iPhone, and it’d be a mega hit.
The Irishman has stated numerous times that he’d like to complete the trilogy with Diaz, and smart money says it’s bound to happen—when, though, we’re not sure?
