UFC Hall of Famer wants to see Islam Makhachev fight Conor McGregor next: ‘It makes sense’
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev’s next move should be to book a fight with Irish megastar Conor McGregor.
Originally scheduled to run it back with Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi, Islam Makhachev instead found himself matched up with former foe Alexander Volkanovski who stepped into the bout on 11 days’ notice after ‘Do Bronx’ sustained an injury while sparring. In the end, it only took Makhachev three minutes to put Volkanovski on the canvas courtesy of a perfectly timed head kick in the opening round to retain the lightweight world championship.
With their rivalry all, but over, Islam Makhachev will now look to the future and his next potential challenger. In all likelihood, that will either be the man he was originally scheduled to face, Charles Oliveira, or current BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje.
But if the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ takes Danie Cormier’s advice, he could find himself standing inside the Octagon with the biggest star in the history of the sport.
“I think Islam should fight Conor McGregor next,” Cormier said during a recent episode of DC&RC. “It’s built in. It’s the biggest money fight the UFC can make, and why not? You have Islam Makhachev – who looks to be a guy that’s gonna be a dominant champion. In order to have that dominant champion go to the next level of superstardom, you need a foil. You need a guy that can elevate him. The guy that can elevate him to that level is Conor McGregor.”
McGregor vs. Makhachev Could be a massive money-making opportunity for all parties involved
From a sporting standpoint, the bout makes very little sense. Conor McGregor has won one fight in the last six years and hasn’t come close enough to sniff the lightweight top ten, let alone be among its ranks, for quite some time. But from a marketing and money-making perspective, there are few fights you could make bigger than McGregor vs. Makhachev.
Aside from their status as two of the biggest names in the sport, McGregor’s long-standing rivalry with Makhachev’s mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, would be more than enough to sell the fight with minimal effort. Not to mention what a victory over a name like McGregor could do for Makhachev’s status as a bonafide UFC superstar.
“Look at what beating Conor McGregor did for Dustin Poirier,” Cormier continued. Look at what it did for Khabib Nurmagomedov. And we’re not even talking about all the other levels at which this just makes sense. You have Islam fighting Conor after the issues Conor had with Khabib and everything else. You have Islam fighting Conor, the biggest star in mixed martial arts coming back to the UFC…It makes sense.”
