Brendan Schaub lays out some truths about Conor McGregor and his immediate fighting future.
It has been almost two years since the last time Conor McGregor set foot in the UFC Octagon. He has been out dealing with an injury and taking care of his other businesses. Now as 2023 is upon us he is beginning to tease his return. McGregor has taken to social media many times to reiterate that he wants to get back in the cage this year and has mentioned several different opponents and weight classes as possible options for him.
McGregor has been looking at opponents in the 170-185 pound ranges. Much of his career so far has been at 170 or below but in his absence, he has gone through a huge amount of bulking and is eyeing welterweight. Of course, McGregor is still one of the biggest draws in the UFC and his return will be massive. He has called for a title shot in the past, but there are few that believe that would be the right move. Former fighter turned YouTube analyst, Brendan Schaub has a few ideas for McGregor’s return.
Brendan Schaub says a title shot is not realistic for McGregor right away
Schaub has turned to the media side of the fight game following the end of his fighting career. Although many believe his takes often miss the mark, his opinion still gains attention. He feels that McGregor is not in the right spot for a title shot despite his popularity, and instead, he has a few possible opponent choices for the “Notorious” one. He spoke about this with The Schmo on YouTube.
“I think he gets a Chandler or a Tony Ferguson fight. He needs to humble himself a little bit, he can’t go straight for like a Makhachev, that ain’t ever gonna happened plus he’s not making 155,” he said. “So it’s gonna have to be like a Chandler at 170 or something like that or Tony for example at 170. He just can’t fight the tip of the spear right now. You can’t take all this time off and then jump in and fight the kings. It doesn’t work like that.”
Michael Chandler has been calling for McGregor and believes he will be the one to get that fight. However, despite McGregor teasing his return there are some obstacles still in the way. He had pulled himself from USADA testing during his rehab and must reenter and test clean for six months before he can become active. He was not tested at all in 2022.
