Conor McGregor has already offered an exciting ‘final fight’ for his perfect comeback to the Octagon.
After four years away, Conor McGregor’s comeback to the UFC was quick, painful, and surprising. Right from the start, a flying kick caused him to injure his knee badly and fall to the mat.
Even though McGregor tried to last longer than in his fight with Nate Diaz, he lost by TKO after just 69 seconds. This led to a lot of questions and even some doubts about why he decided to come back so soon – something Max Holloway wondered about just moments after the fight.
The injury looks like a torn ACL, which usually means about six to nine months of recovery, depending on how bad it is. But the 38-year-old fighter says he’s determined to heal up and get back in the octagon for one last fight.
Who he might face has already been suggested by someone familiar – Dustin Poirier. Although Poirier’s career has had some bumps recently, including a drink-related arrest after retiring, he has said there’s a small chance he might return. He’s been staying involved as an analyst, and now he’s challenging McGregor to a fourth fight to settle their rivalry.
“Whenever he’s healed, Conor, just hit me up,” Poirier said on the Paramount+ podcast Deep Waters. “I’ll come back and beat you again. I’d fight him at 170 pounds, but I don’t think he would.”
If that fight happens, Poirier would have to fight at a lighter weight than usual, but he thinks it would draw a lot of attention. He also mentioned on The Diary of a CEO podcast that returning means going through at least six months of drug testing before he can compete again.
Meanwhile, Max Holloway – who has beaten both McGregor and Poirier – remains the top challenge for them. He’s even offered McGregor a third fight between the two of them. “You guys are lucky, because there’s going to be a McGregor vs. Holloway 3,” he said after the fight. “I guess I had him weak at the knees. We need to run it back one more time.”
Of course, all of this depends on McGregor’s recovery from his knee injury. Before the fight, he said he was in great shape and ready to go. “I was so sharp and ready for these fights, I can’t believe this happened,” he shared on social media.
Whether it’s a fourth fight with Poirier or a third battle with Holloway, either match would be a big deal and could bring McGregor back for one final UFC appearance.