Conor McGregor Next Fight: Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson Are Betting Underdogs

Conor McGregor became UFC’s biggest star, not only because of his charisma and prowess inside the octagon, but because he was as active as anybody. The Irish fighter had four bouts from December 2015 to November 2016, beating three of the sport’s top competitors and winning two titles in the process.

The one year anniversary of McGregor winning the UFC lightweight championship is approaching, and he hasn’t had an MMA fight since that night at Madison Square Garden. McGregor’s one fight in the last year was a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, and as entertaining as that was, it’s time for him to get back to what he does best.

Who will McGregor fight next? There’s no shortage of options, and just about everyone wants their shot at the UFC pay-per-view king.

Two candidates stand out as the obvious choices.

A third fight with Nate Diaz feels inevitable. McGregor and Diaz had two of the best fights of 2016, namely their second fight, which was a five-round war that saw McGregor get his revenge for tapping out to Diaz five months prior. It’s certainly the fight that would generate the most PPV buys.

According to UFC president Dana White, Tony Ferguson is the more likely opponent for McGregor. Ferguson won the interim UFC lightweight championship by submitting Kevin Lee at UFC 216 on Oct. 7.

Ferguson has been unbeatable for most of his time in the UFC, winning his last 10 fights. He’s earned a title shot against McGregor, and the champ will drop his belt if he doesn’t defend it sooner or later.

“Nobody's talked about Diaz,"”White said after UFC 216, via MMA Fighting. “Diaz has never been talked about. That's internet bullshit. Tony's the interim champion, Conor's the champion, that's the fight that makes sense. It's the fight that has to happen, it doesn't 'make sense,' it's the fight that has to happen.”

If that fight does happen, McGregor will be the favorite, though not by much. He’s been given -165 betting odds by Bovada.lv for the fight, making Ferguson a +135 underdog.

McGregor is considered to be a much heavier favorite in a grudge match with Diaz. The lightweight champ has -250 odds to beat Diaz, who is a +195 underdog, per OddsShark.

Of course, McGregor could decide to have another boxing match, considering his first foray into the sport earned him the biggest paycheck of his career by tens of millions of dollars. McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi engaged in a feud in the build toward the UFC star’s fight with Floyd Mayweather, and the boxer has said it could lead to a fight in 2018.

“I know Al Haymon’s talking with Dana White, I know they’re speaking so if they want the fight they’ll make it,” Malignaggi told Fight Hype a few weeks ago. “This fight would pay him more, this fight would get him more exposure, this fight is a bigger fight than anything else he has. Even if it’s not the next fight, even if it’s an MMA fight in his next fight, there’s no way he should be walking away from this fight unless he has no balls.”

Malignaggi is currently favored for that fight, but the betting odds aren’t nearly as lopsided as they were for Mayweather-McGregor. The now-retired boxer is only a -155 favorite, and McGregor is a +125 underdog.