Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov would likely be the biggest fight in UFC history.
Perhaps the only positive to come from Conor McGregor throwing a dolly through that bus window is it made a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov so much bigger. That match-up has all the requisite ingredients to be a pay-per-view smash-hit.
In one corner is an undefeated champion who has never lost a single round in the UFC. 26 men who've dedicated their lives to the art of combat have tried and failed to solve the Nurmagomedov enigma. Everyone who's stepped inside the cage with Nurmagomedov has been on the receiving end of a mauling.
The challenger is the most popular superstar in the history of the sport. McGregor is responsible for the most lucrative PPVs in UFC history. He never lost his lightweight title. Instead, he was stripped of it. Plus, his beef with Nurmagomedov compelled him to fly across the Atlantic to launch a projectile at his bus.
The storyline is there, it makes sense from a rankings perspective and everything that went down during UFC 223 fight week gave the rivalry more exposure in the mainstream. While the UFC will likely want to make that fight happen as soon as possible, they really don't need it to be the next lightweight title fight.
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Options
Marquee fights take time to come together. Fortunately, the UFC have time on their side.
They will wait to see what becomes of McGregor's legal issues while Nurmagomedov takes the summer off to observe Ramadan. Tony Ferguson's knee surgery means he is likely to remain on the sidelines for an extended period. So frustratingly, this means that the three men who can stake a claim for being the world's best 155-er are unable to book a fight at this time to emerge as the top dog.
A bi-product of McGregor holding up the division for so long is the contender queue building up. Should a match-up between two of the top three be unavailable, the UFC have plenty of other options. Former champion Eddie Alvarez has already put forward a
persuasive argument for him getting the next title shot. If Kevin Lee defeats Edson Barboza in Atlantic, he will undoubtedly call out the Dagestani. And, in UFC Glendale's main event on Sunday morning, another worthy contender emerged.
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The Diamond
If you missed Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje, you only have yourself to blame. Avid MMA fans instantly recognised this fight as a potential Fight of the Year contender and it more than lived up to the hype.
Poirier was the slicker, more technical striker, but Gaethje's granite chin held up during the early onslaught. Gaethje also had continued success with his thunderous leg kicks and his grimey boxing from the inside. For the first two rounds, Poirier pieced him up, but 'The Diamond' developed a serious limp from all the damage his leg had amassed.
Round three was easily Gaethje's best, but two eye-pokes saw him deducted a point. It was a big call from Herb Dean, but the consensus was it was the right one. Poirier landed an eye poke of his own just before the end of the round, then came out for the fourth swinging.
33 seconds later, Dean was pulling him off of Gaethje to award the TKO victory.
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Perhaps it is time
Poirer has distanced himself from the perception that he always stumbles on the big stage. On Sunday morning, no one was thinking about when he was submitted by the Korean Zombie in his first UFC main event all those moons ago. Being flattened by McGregor in his last featherweight fight seemed like a distant memory. Even that seismic knockout by Michael Johnson not too long ago feels forgotten.
When Jon Anik held the mic to his face, Poirier made sure everyone listening only saw him one way - as a contender.
"This is my 20th fight in the UFC. I've been close to the mountain top, I've been knocked down and I've climbed back over and over again. Two different weight classes. And, I would never stand right here and ask for something that I didn't earn. Dana, Sean, Khabib, let's fucking go! It's time!"
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If the UFC need Nurmagomedov to headline, they don't necessarily need McGregor to be his next dance partner. Alvarez and Poirier are primed to step in to fight the Dagestani and Lee could well join them at the top of the queue.
