Conor McGregor could fight for his third world title at the Ultimate Fighting Championship as he was offered the next shot at the welterweight championship.
A former featherweight and lightweight titlist, McGregor is currently on a mission to reclaim his glory days after suffering a disappointing fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
Following a 15-month hiatus, ‘The Notorious’ from Ireland returned to action last January and eked out an emphatic 40-second knockout of Donald Cerrone in their welterweight clash at UFC 246.
It was the first time McGregor fought at 170 pounds since his back-to-back fights with Nate Diaz in 2016.
Following the win, McGregor said he was the first fighter in the UFC to score a finish in three different weight classes. He also said he is planning to fight one more time at 170 pounds before returning to the lightweight division for a rematch with his fiercest rival, Nurmagomedov.
https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1264632257525895169
‘Come To Daddy’
But Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has recently offered McGregor a chance to challenge Kamaru Usman after Jorge Masvidal expressed his interest in a rematch with Nate Diaz.
Masvidal, who holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history, is currently the strongest candidate for the next welterweight title shot as he scored three massive wins last year including a fight for the ‘baddest motherf***er’ strap.
On Sunday, ‘Gamebred’ shocked the MMA community after calling out Nate Diaz for a re-run of their UFC 244 ‘BMF’ title bout.
This prompted Abdelaziz to make an interesting offer to the Irishman, saying “It looks like #1 contender wants to fight Nate Diaz now. Good for him. Conor McGregor hey you want a title shot ? Come to daddy, Usman will give you one and he promise first two rounds without takedowns only slaps.”
If he's not fighting Masvidal, Usman's team wants McGregor.
(via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/HGQzHnJMbm
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 25, 2020
Second Greatest
McGregor would have the chance to become the first fighter to win three titles in three UFC divisions if he accepts the offer. And if he manages to beat Usman, it will be a big boost to his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all-time.
In fact, he has hailed himself as the second best mixed martial artist ever behind former middleweight champion, Anderson Silva and ahead of MMA greats, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones.
“GOAT THREAD. The array of finishes, across 2 divisions, with champion status in 1, Anderson Silva is No.1 MMA GOAT. My array of finishes, across 3 divisions, with champion status in 2, I’m No.2. If not tied 1. However still active, No.1 is fully secured by career end. And easily,” McGregor wrote.
If you missed it here’s Conor McGregor’s GOAT rankings pic.twitter.com/vX90DAxRQj
— Connoisseur of Combat (@ConOfCombat) May 23, 2020
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Conor McGregor and Kamaru Usman)