After Rafael dos Anjos had to pull out of UFC 196, here are five opponents that can face Conor McGregor on two weeks’ notice.
Just two weeks removed from what was sure to be one of the most anticipated fights of the year, Ariel Helwani broke the news that Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of UFC 196 with a foot injury. It’s devastating but unfortunately, it feels too familiar for Conor McGregor. Andy Ogle was replaced by Max Holloway in Boston, Cole Miller was replaced by Diego Brandao in Dublin, Jose Aldo was replaced by Chad Mendes at UFC 189, and now this.
McGregor, and his fans, will cry out that dos Anjos pulled out because he was scared and that McGregor got in his head, but he is one of the worst matchups for McGregor. It’s obvious that dos Anjos wanted a piece of him and that it would be the biggest fight of his career, but it’s extremely unfortunate that it’s had to come to this.
It all feels eerily similar to UFC 189 as well, when champion Jose Aldo was forced to pull out on two weeks notice and the UFC was left to find a replacement. While they could reschedule the fight for UFC 200, they will surely want to preserve this card by keeping Conor on it, since it could’ve potentially done close to 2 million buys. After all, keeping McGregor on the card back at UFC 189 worked out perfectly, and many still believe that was one of the best fight cards of all time.
As long as McGregor is there, he will draw numbers and opponents that will want to face him. The question is who will be willing to step up on short notice. Luckily for Conor, lightweight is one of the most stacked divisions around plus he could choose to defend his featherweight belt. There’s no shortage of options for McGregor, but here are the best ones.
Next: 5: Eddie Alvarez
Add us as a preferred source on Google