McGregor, once again, seems motivated to continue his path to becoming a titleholder and has promised to begin his comeback by taking the lightweight division by storm. A win against Poirier could encourage McGregor to go for three fights in 2021 and it is looking one of these could be against rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
'Show me something spectacular,’ relayed UFC president Dana White which came from the mouth of the lightweight champion, as he promises to come back if the challengers prove their worth.
If Nurmagomedov is impressed and wants the rematch, it will take place this year and also be for the UFC lightweight title. Ahead of a potential rematch, McGregor is 5/2 to win, as the champion is 2/7 to win again against his bitter nemesis.
Whether Nurmagomedov returns from retirement or not, McGregor will have another opponent at some stage, as the Irishman looks to continue from where he left off in 2020 and fight three or four times in 2021, and finally get his "season" off and running.
The logical candidate for a fight with McGregor would be a fight with number one contender and fan favourite Justin Gaethje, who lost in his recent title shot at UFC 254. The reason being is the fact this fight between Poirier and McGregor isn't for the title, and a win for 'The Notorious' would put him into title contention, and naturally, the number one ranked fighter, Gaethje, may step up.
Another option for McGregor should he beat 'The Diamond' once more would be the ever-impressive Brazilian Charles Olivera, who is on an eight-fight win streak. These wins include exceptional performances against Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee, and the 31-year-old has well and truly established himself as a contender, and perhaps even the greatest threat to Nurmagomedov's throne even without facing McGregor.
Oliveira seems to be a better option for the Irishman if he is planning to fight Nurmagomedov in the future, due to Oliveira’s immense ground game and record for most submission wins in UFC history (14). Although, Oliveira is currently 3/1 to become UFC Lightweight Champion before January 2022 and also holds the joint-most finishes in the organisation's history (16), and he does seem like the toughest fight out there right now, bar the champion for anybody.
At the same time, a loss at lightweight for McGregor could result in yet another retirement and a return to boxing to fight Manny Pacquiao, as talks have been going well on that front, according to Irish megastar.