Odds On Who Conor McGregor Will Fight Next
After he returned to the Octagon in fine fashion at UFC 246 on January 18, UFC fans are already speculating on who the “Notorious” Conor McGregor will fight next. The Irishman needed just 40 seconds to dispose of fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event, which led to many call-outs on social media from the likes of Nate Diaz and Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
Online sportsbook BetOnline has listed BMF titleholder Jorge Masvidal as the -200 favorite to be the next man to stand across the cage from McGregor, followed by lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at +300, Justin Gaethje at +600, Kamaru Usman at +900, Nate Diaz at +1000, Floyd Mayweather at +1200 and Tony Ferguson at +1400.
Why Is Masvidal The Favorite to Fight Conor?
Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal entered 2019 as a journeyman who had dropped his last two fights and didn’t have a victory since January 2017. But the 35-year-old exploded last year with three knockout victories, one being the knockout of the year over former two-promotion champion Ben Askren and the other being a doctor’s stoppage to win the BMF title against Nate Diaz – a belt Conor has a desire to win.
Masvidal’s stock couldn’t be any higher and injured welterweight champion Kamaru Usman could be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Placing an interim welterweight belt up for grabs that would make McGregor the first three-division champion in UFC history is an instant moneymaker for Notorious and the UFC as a whole.
Could Khabib vs McGregor 2 be on the Horizon?
After reading the above, you would think Masvidal is a lock, but history may repeat itself with a Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor lightweight title match. Currently, the champ, Nurmagomedov, is scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in Brooklyn, New York. This is the fifth time that these two have been scheduled to fight, with injuries and weight cuts cancelling the previous four attempts. People are anxiously holding their breath that a fifth incident doesn’t occur, however, if either man fails to make the walk, it will be McGregor stepping in.
That said, if Nurmagomedov and Ferguson do fight and Khabib remains the champion, he won’t be in action until late summer or early fall as he will be celebrating Ramadan in late spring. The UFC won’t be waiting nine months for McGregor to return to action and Masvidal would be the likely opponent in the meantime, although that McGregor/Nurmagomedov rematch will no doubt happen again soon.
What About Floyd?
Good question. The 50-0 multi-division boxer, arguably the greatest of all time, is keeping his cards close to the chest. Mayweather brought his pro boxing record to 50-0 with his 10th-round stoppage of McGregor in 2017 and hasn’t been in action since. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been in the spotlight. He was seen with UFC president Dana White at a Celtics/Clippers game at which White has said they came to a “handshake deal.” White has doubled down on this statement, saying Floyd will be competing in 2020 in some capacity. My guess is he fights Manny Pacquiao again to kick off Zuffa boxing but the door is definitely open for May/Mac. Ultimately, though, I think McGregor sticks to MMA this year.
Here’s a look at the full list of odds for who will be Conor McGregor’s next opponent:
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jorge Masvidal | -200 |
| Khabib Nurmagomedov | +300 |
| Justin Gaethje | +600 |
| Kamaru Usman | +900 |
| Nate Diaz | +1000 |
| Floyd Mayweather | +1200 |
| Tony Ferguson | +1400 |
Odds as of January 20 at Bovada
