The big rematch didn’t happen, yet a smaller equivalent is in play. McGregor could take on Khabib’s former charge: He’s not like he used to be, he drinks too much

Conor McGregor will be back in the UFC cage at the end of June. His opponent will be Michael Chandler. However, he has another opponent. And not just any fighter. The champion and former ward of Khabib Nurmagomedov is interested in a duel with the Irishman.

The UFC will make a big comeback at the end of June. Conor McGregor will take the cage for the first time since July 2021. The former two-time champion is still a big star today, but the boom around his person is not so big in the MMA world anymore.

Still, it will be a special and watched event. Moreover, the Irishman will not get an easy opponent after a long break. He will face Michael Chandler, one of the most attractive fighters in the organization.

The fact that McGregor is still a big name in the world of MMA is clearly evidenced by the amount of challenges he receives. Still. Even the biggest aces are not averse to dueling with him because of finances. After all, that’s why a very interesting fight is in the cards, in which The Notorious could face the former ward of his rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Will McGregor face Khabib’s former charge?

It’s unclear what will happen when Conor McGregor takes on Michael Chandler. There is talk, for example, of completing a trilogy with Nate Diaz. However, if he was interested, he could probably fight for the title. In fact, the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, among others the former ward of Khabib Nurmagomedov, is not opposed to a fight with him.

“People would be stupid to refuse to fight Conor. Of course I would fight him if I had the chance,” he was heard saying in an interview he gave to former UFC champions Kamar Usman and Henry Cejudo.

Makhachev, however, believes he’s no longer a formidable opponent. Following his loss to Khabib, the Irishman is said to have made a negative lifestyle decision.

“I can fight him in August or September. It will be easy. He’s not like he used to be. I don’t want to make him look bad, but everyone can see that. He was in good shape with Khabib, he was a great fighter, but now he’s just drinking too much alcohol, especially whiskey,” the champion said.

Part of the reason he would be interested in McGregor as an opponent is because he says he no longer has any interesting opponents in his division. He still has a fight with Dustin Poirier, who, by the way, was not far from choking Nurmagomedov.

Makhachev is open to facing McGregor because “there are no interesting fights in his division anymore because he’s beaten Arman in the past,” though he also acknowledged that Tsarukyan actually deserves a rematch thanks to his win over Charles Oliveira.

Source: Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry