‘Anthony beats Nate, and Conor is next on the horizon’

"If you will it, it is no dream."

Abraham Kawa - manager of UFC star Anthony Pettis - is going down the Theodor Herzl route, and the one espoused by Walter Sobchak. Up next for 'Showtime' Pettis is a UFC 241 face-off against a man who has not fought in the promotion since August 2016, Nate Diaz. Forget the fact that Pettis and Diaz will be facing off as welterweights, the winner should be taking on Conor McGregor next. The added motivation from their Anaheim showdown should be a Madison Square Garden date with 'The Notorious' in November. Pettis, last month, told The Ariel Helwani MMA Show that he had been offered a July fight against McGregor in Manhattan. He was game, but McGregor busted his hand in a sparring session and required surgery. [caption id="attachment_202194" align="aligncenter" width="647"] Nate Diaz  pictured before his last UFC fight, against Conor McGregor at UFC 202, event at T-Mobile Arena on August 20, 2016. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)[/caption] Taking on Diaz, one of MMA's biggest names, is a decent consolation for the former lightweight champion. McGregor money is off the table but only for now. Kawa told MMA Junkie:

"Even Conor fighting Khabib [Nurmagomedov], I don’t think that’s the fight. I actually don’t want to see that fight right now. "Maybe after a while, yes. But right now I think Conor vs. Anthony is the fight. I’m looking at it as (if) Anthony beats Nate, and I think Conor is next on the horizon."

Kawa believes it was Pettis' stunning knock-out of former welterweight title contender Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson that got Diaz' attention and got the bout agreement signed. Pettis has slated Diaz in recent interviews while the Stockton native has opted not to sling any mud. Overlooking Diaz, a man McGregor called 'a Mexican warrior' after their UFC 202 rematch, would be foolhardy but Kawa truly believes in his fighter. Diaz next, then McGregor - at UFC 244 - and two more wins to add to his 22-8 record. "The better man is going to win, and I think if Anthony does what he’s supposed to do, he will win," Kawa proclaimed. "I think next in line should be Conor. I don’t think there should be anyone else." McGregor has headlined five of the biggest six pay-per-view events in UFC history with UFC 229 and its' 2.4 million buys exploding all previous figures out of the water. UFC 244 may not surpass that, but a 2019 fight for McGregor against 'Showtime' would coast past the 1 million mark. If you will it, it is no dream.