Conor McGregor’s Manager Praises Decision Not To Call Anyone Out After UFC 246
Conor McGregor is back, and rather than soaking in the Irishman’s big victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246, the mixed martial arts (MMA) world is already eager to know – who is next?
After over a year away from the sport, last suffering a submission loss to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, McGregor returned against Cerrone in the UFC 246 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner earlier this month. It only took McGregor 40 seconds to take out “Cowboy” with a nasty TKO win after some vicious shoulder strikes that broke Cerrone’s orbital bone and nose. One head-kick and some ground-and-pound later, and McGregor was back in the win column.
Now, fans are all over the place in regards to who they want to see McGregor fight next. UFC president Dana White would like to see McGregor rematch Khabib Nurmagomedov, which would certainly pull in big money for the company. Others would like to see McGregor face off against Jorge Masvidal. The possibility of McGregor competing for the welterweight title is always there, as that belt is currently held by Kamaru Usman. And, of course, McGregor and Nate Diaz still have a trilogy bout that’s always available.
After beating Cerrone, the MMA world was holding its breath, waiting for McGregor to call any one of these men out. However, that moment never came, as McGregor simply says he’s open to fighting anyone, and refused to name a specific opponent. McGregor’s manager, Audie Attar, praised the move in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.
“Listen, I think a lot of Conor’s brilliance is his authenticity,” Attar said. “I think that response was authentic Conor. It wasn’t a premeditated or planned thing where he decided not to necessarily name anybody’s name but there are a dozen or so options out for him that make sense.
“Depending on which one makes the most sense depending on a number of different motivations, that’s who he’s going to go with. I don’t think it’s planned or premeditated but I would agree, it’s brilliant. Sometimes his authenticity is that brilliance.”
With that being said, Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend his 155-pound title against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April. Dana White just announced plans to book Usman vs. Masvidal for International Fight Week in Jury, nixing two more potential McGregor opponents. With that being said, the only option that makes sense is for McGregor and Diaz to run things back again, unless another option out of left field presents itself.
What do you think about McGregor’s manager praising the Irishman for not calling anyone out at UFC 246?
