Conor McGregor is expected to return to the UFC in 2020, but who will his first opponent be?
While Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje appear to be the most popular choices, a surprising name has emerged as a candidate — Frankie Edgar.
Say what? Wasn’t he supposed to be going down a weight class, to 135 pounds? How does this fight make sense?
This was one topic discussed in this week’s episode of Ariel & The Bad Guy, streamed exclusively on ESPN+.
Chael Sonnen: Oh, I’d love to see that fight. I’d like to have seen it for a very long time. Ariel, I gotta tell you, though, I’m very bearish on this. I mean first off, to my understanding Frankie Edgar is going down to 135 pounds. Oh, by the way, where did I get that information? From Frankie Edgar. Oh, and by the way, apparently Frankie Edgar is getting ready to fight (Aljamain) Sterling. Where did I get that information? From Dana White, when he said it to TMZ. So no, I just don’t see this. It appears to me the guy sitting in the bird’s-eye seat for the Conor McGregor sweepstakes is the only guy that didn’t play it like everybody else who begged and drooled at the mouth, and that’s Justin Gaethje.
By the way, Ariel, can I tell you one thing? Things could actually change this weekend when Al Iaquinta fights Dan Hooker. And before you go Chael, where did you get those names from? Let me just tell you real fast, I got it from history. The last three months, anybody at 155 pounds that has fought in a meaningful fight on a pay-per-view instantly gets called out by Conor McGregor. As light as you may be on one of those names right now, there is an opportunity and evidence that Conor will call them out and maybe something will spark. But for now, I think it’s Gaethje.
Ariel Helwani: Look I don’t think there’s a lot of interest there for Iaquinta-Hooker to fight Conor McGregor. I’ll tell you this: This isn’t just some smoke, like this is legit. There’s something there. John Kavanagh isn’t coming out and saying oh yeah, I like the Frankie Edgar fight if he’s not speaking in line with what Conor is saying. And Conor went out of his way in that interview with me back in August to mention Frankie’s name. I didn’t mention Frankie’s name, and so I think this is real interesting because, yes, Frankie did say he was willing to go down to 135. But we all know he has wanted this fight for a very long time. I remember back in 2015 when he defeated Chad Mendes, and we all thought that if Conor would get by Jose Aldo that he would fight Frankie Edgar. He was promised a Frankie Edgar fight, and guess what happened? They ended up making the (Rafael Dos Anjos) fight, he gets injured, Nate Diaz, and everything changes.
So, Frankie has been promised this fight for a long time and I will admit, initially, I thought ah, come on. Guy going down to 135, he just lost to the champion (Max Holloway at 145), Conor’s fought as high as 170 — this makes absolutely no sense. But the more I think about it, here I am, the guy who always preaches about tune-up fights, getting back on track, getting your mojo back, just getting a “W” for Conor McGregor, how can I be against this fight? Yes, there’s a size discrepancy. Yes, it doesn’t really make sense as far as the rankings are concerned. But if you actually think about it from a storyline standpoint, these guys go back four years. Frankie is the ultimate “Rocky” figure in our sport. If he can be the guy to knock off Conor in his return or Conor gets a win over Frankie in a “tune-up fight” for the likes of Khabib, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, there’s a lot to like there. Look, you talked about all those guys that Conor has brought up, the only guy he hasn’t brought up is Justin Gaethje. That leads me to believe he’s not all that interested in that fight and that could be right, that could be wrong, whatever the case may be. But they are interested in Frankie Edgar. Now, is the UFC interested? That remains to be seen, but there is something there and if we want to see Conor get back on track, this might be the fight that gets him back on track.
Sonnen: OK, Ariel, first off, I’m not sure what we’re doing here. I don’t disagree with any of your points. If you’re asking me can we build a storyline and make a big fight around a former world champion in Frankie Edgar and a former world champion in Conor McGregor, well yeah. Duh. Sure we should. And as far as Conor not saying Justin Gaethje, that’s not completely correct. Conor went as far as to come out and declare that he had accepted a fight with Justin Gaethje. Now, Conor had also accepted a fight with Donald Cerrone and he had also called out everybody in the division and I understand, by the way, that you don’t love Hooker-Iaquinta — yeah, that’s not a thing … today. I’m just suggesting for you it could be as quickly as by the time we talk next week. I also don’t love when you use the term “if we want to get Conor back on track.” Who wants to get Conor back on track? Who’s got a goal to get Conor a win or anybody else? That’s not how this sport works. Does he want to fight? And yeah, I do think it’s a little weird that Frankie says he’s going to 135 and then goes, oh, no, by the way I’m not going to 135, I’m not staying at 145, I’m going up to 155. It’s weird. Could we repackage it, spin it and sell it? Yes, it’s Conor McGregor. Does it make sense? No. And by the way, if you want some real inside scoop, and you’re the greatest insider, so I imagine you already know this, but I’ll share it with our fans: Conor McGregor has his eye on that “BMF” title more than he’s got anything else. And yes, I understand it’s at 170 and I understand that Dana says the title’s a one-off. Conor McGregor wants that crown.
Helwani: OK, well a couple things. First of all, I was saying he didn’t respond to Gaethje post-Cerrone fight. The Gaethje response was from several months ago that you’re referencing. No. 2, yeah, he’s interested in the BMF thing. Of course, he’s got history with Nate Diaz, (Jorge) Masvidal was calling him out. But I’m telling you, there’s something there with this Frankie Edgar stuff. And now, Frankie talked about going down to 135 only after the loss to Holloway, but before Conor spoke about him, so, it’s not that crazy for him to fight at 155. And in response to your “who wants to get Conor back on track,” I’ll tell you who wants to get him back on track. There’s a few people, a few businessmen up in Las Vegas right now who definitely want to get him back on track. I’ll tell you there’s some people in Ireland who want to get him back on track. I’m trying to put myself in their shoes. A Conor McGregor who is winning is good for business, it’s good for everyone. He’s a rising tide that lifts all boats, so we need to figure out a way to get him back on track. When I say we, I don’t mean me personally. I mean the brass, so to speak. I’m trying to think like how they’re thinking and a fight against Frankie Edgar is a marketable fight, in my opinion, and it’s also a fight that probably gets him a “W,” so why not? No harm, no foul.
Sonnen: Ariel, I still think that’s a stretch by you, I sincerely do. First off, I don’t think that’s our job to try to get (McGregor) back on track. But I must remind you, Conor hasn’t won a fight since I don’t know when and that spans over two different sports. He hasn’t won an MMA fight, he hasn’t won a boxing fight, he returns on a loss and he has the biggest pay-per-view of all time. As far as businessmen, if you’re trying to talk about money, no, you don’t need to get Conor back on track. You need to get his ass in the Octagon.
Helwani: Wow, geez. To answer your question, November of 2016 was the last time he won a fight. That was against Eddie Alvarez, Madison Square Garden.
Sonnen: MSG!
Helwani: Yes, good job. Well done. UFC 205.
Sonnen: $17.1 million dollar gate. Don’t try to impress me with facts off the top of your head. I’m pretty good at this, too.
Helwani: One fact correct on the show…