Mike Tyson has suggested a plan for Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC.
McGregor has remained out of action due to an injury he picked up in his recent outing against Dustin Poirier. ‘The Notorious’ is on his path to nearing recovery as he heals from the broken fibula he suffered at UFC 264. McGregor had expressed interest in taking on the reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in his return.
Mike Tyson believes ‘The Notorious’ needs to ease his way back in
The inaugural ‘champ-champ’ has shocked the world multiple times with his incredible feats over the years. McGregor’s ambitions to add another feather to his cap may not be the best idea, as per Mike Tyson. McGregor is eyeing the welterweight strap by defeating Usman, who’s also the current UFC pound-for-pound king.
Speaking to Henry Cejudo on The Fight Card podcast, ‘Iron’ Mike laid out a plan of action for McGregor’s return. The boxing legend believes it’s important for ‘The Notorious’ to get his confidence back up before jumping into a title fight.
“After a defeat, you should do a couple of fights to get your feet wet. Conor, I think you should build your confidence up and go do what you do: win excitingly.”
Tyson’s thoughts on Tony Ferguson vs. Conor McGregor
Talking about other opponents McGregor should face in his return, Cejudo recommended Tony Ferguson, who’s going through a career skid that saw him drop four in a row. Ferguson looked phenomenal in his latest fight against Michael Chandler but ultimately lost by knockout for the first time in his career.
On paper, the matchup between ‘El Cucuy’ and McGregor makes sense for both veterans. However, Tyson thinks that would be a tough fight for McGregor’s comeback.
“Well, that’s a tough fight. He’s a warrior, regardless if he loses, He makes exciting fights. It’s hard to beat that guy. … No big-time guy, let him get three fights and build his confidence back up. Every fight the opponent goes to a higher level”
“Even if he wins, he’s gonna get hurt in the next fight, and he can’t fight the next fight. You get your experience down, three more fights, you feel good, the beat the last two guys are really qualified opponents, now you go back out there.”
McGregor has only competed four times since becoming double champ back in 2016. Of those four, he has dropped three with a sole victory over Donald Cerrone, who hasn’t won since 2019. Having a ‘tune-up’ fight could be exactly what McGregor needs before jumping back into the deep end.