UFC: Odds For Who Conor McGregor Will Fight Next?

There have been rumors swirling around former two-division champion Conor McGregor and who his next opponent will be in the Octagon. “Notorious” gave us a bit of insight during his press conference on October 24 in Moscow when he announced that he plans to fight three times in 2020, with the first bout tentatively scheduled for January 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It appears that the two front-runners to square off with the Ireland native are Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje. Online sportsbook BetOnline has made Cerrone the favorite to be McGregor’s next opponent at +200, followed by Gaethje at +375, Nate Diaz at +450, Jorge Masvidal at +600, Khabib Nurmagomedov at +900, Tony Ferguson at +1000, Frankie Edgar at +1000 and Georges St-Pierre at +1800.

Who Can You Count Out on the List?

There are several potential opponents on the oddsboard that, although they would offer entertaining fights, McGregor will not be fighting next. The first names you can strike are Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. The current champ, Nurmagomedov, already beat McGregor in October 2018, the last time we saw “Notorious,” and it appears that the next in line to get a crack at the title is Ferguson – so count those two out of the running.

Next up are Frankie Edgar and GSP. Firstly, McGregor recently called out the former lightweight champ, Edgar, and Frankie answered the call and it seemed like a done deal for UFC 245 in December. However, UFC president Dana White says that fight isn’t happening. Quite frankly, I think it’s a bit of a cop-out for McGregor. As for GSP, it looks like the only way we get him out of retirement is a fight against Khabib – a fight the current champ wants as well.

Where’s the Value for McGregor’s Next Opponent?

In my opinion, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will be Conor McGregor’s next opponent. Notorious hasn’t had a victory since UFC 205 against Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 and he needs a win to get his wish of a rematch with Khabib. Cowboy is coming off back-to-back losses, a knockout defeat to Justin Gaethje in September and a doctor stoppage TKO loss to Tony Ferguson in June. It appeared there was going to be a Cerrone/McGregor fight earlier in 2019, though Dana White at the time didn’t want a non-title fight to headline a pay-per-view (but don’t look at UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 2).

This fight makes too much sense not to make it. Cowboy is adored by fans as he’s the type of fighter who will take on anyone at any time. He is extremely well-rounded with strong striking and submission skills and he fears nobody. That being said, I believe this is a very winnable fight for McGregor and a good start to what he’s calling “his season.”

Now, let’s look at Gaethje, Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal. I think Gaethje is a great fight to book, but that may not be the fight McGregor wants. As I said above, he needs a win and Gaethje is an extremely difficult opponent. Diaz and Masvidal are set to battle for the BMF title at MSG on November 2, so the winner of that fight does make sense and time-wise would fit as well. However, both of those guys are fighting at welterweight now and Diaz says he doesn’t want to cut weight anymore and I’m not sure a win over either of those guys gets McGregor in the title talks again.

How Many Times Will McGregor Fight in 2020?

In McGregor’s press conference in Moscow, he talked about how “his season” in 2020 will see him enter the Octagon three times – likely the bout on January 18 against perhaps Cerrone or Gaethje, then a fight with the winner between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, and lastly, if all goes well for Notorious, a title fight with Nurmagomedov or Ferguson. BetOnline has odds on whether McGregor will fight OVER or UNDER 2.5 times in 2020, with the OVER coming in at +190 and the UNDER set at -240.

It is that last fight where a problem could arise for McGregor and put a third 2020 bout in jeopardy. Nurmagomedov has said for a couple of years now that his plan was to fight McGregor (done), Ferguson (likely upcoming), and GSP, then retire. It appears Dana White is warming to the idea of GSP/Nurmagomedov, so we could see McGregor having to wait in line for a title fight. He may not want anyone else and choose to just wait.

Odds courtesy of BetOnline

Odds courtesy of BetOnline