Should Conor McGregor Get Title Shot With Win Over “Diamond”?
Conor McGregor next fight: UFC 178 clash with Dustin “Diamond” Poirier at UFC 178, September 27th, 2014
It’s no secret that Conor McGregor is hunting UFC gold; the brash Irish MMA star has spoken many times about the top five in the UFC featherweight division, and how he feels he will be the next champion at 145 pounds. Thus far, “Notorious” Conor McGregor is 3-0 for the UFC, 15-2 overall, and has beaten Marcus Brimage, Max Holloway and Diego Brandao. The win over Brandao at Fight Night 46 was significant in more ways than one though.
Not only was McGregor returning from injury, but it was in his home town of Dublin, and the MMA world had their eyes firmly set on the Irish fan favorite. In a poetic night of Irish wins, “The Notorious” capped the night off with a trademark first round knockout. The event was referred to by Dana White as the greatest the promotion had put on, period. Not bad for a free event huh?
The reason I once again recapped Fight Night 46 is that McGregor has what many champions do not; he is a draw, and a big one at that. His outrageous trash talk, his fighting Irish spirit and the tremendous in-cage abilities have everyone intrigued; whether you like him or not, you will want to see him fight. This could be a huge factor if he gets past “Diamond” at UFC 178.
McGregor currently resides at the number nine spot in the rankings, and he takes a step up in facing the number five Poirier. Rankings mean little to nothing these days, but it has to be said that a solid win over Poirier, combined with his stock from his last three could score the Irish phenom a title shot. I’m not making an argument for or against with that statement, it is more of a prediction.
Should he be gifted a title shot with only four promotional win? Probably not, but does Gilbert Melendez deserve his shot at Anthony Pettis with a 1-1 promotional record? No, simply put, he doesn’t, but he is an entertaining fighter. The top five of the 145-pound division is truly a shark tank, stocked with some of the best talent in the entire promotion, but let’s be honest; the entire division combined doesn’t have the personality that McGregor possesses.
Of course, he faces a very stern challenge in “Diamond”, and I’m still torn about my prediction for this fight. So looking ahead to UFC 178-I believe that McGregor will get a title shot, with a win, due to the entertainment factor, whether the top five like it, or not. The only question is, who will that shot be against? All eyes on Jose Aldo as he looks to defend his featherweight strap against Chad Mendes at UFC 179…
