UFC legend Daniel Cormier expects Conor McGregor will forgo a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz to instead face Michael Chandler in his octagon return.
The former two-weight world champion has designs on winning a third belt at welterweight, but could end up taking on lightweight contender Chandler when he finally steps back into the octagon. For his part, the ex-Bellator star has said that he would be willing to move up to face McGregor in what would be the biggest fight of his career.
Chandler made an exceptional callout of McGregor during his post-fight interview after viciously knocking out Tony Ferguson, and the Irishman seems receptive to the possibility of the fight. Now, Cormier believes that he will get his shot at the sport's biggest star once McGregor's broken leg has healed.
“I’ve got two names," Cormier teased in an interview with ESPN’s YouTube channel. "I know who he should fight, and I know who he probably will fight.
“Who he should fight is Nate Diaz. They should complete this trilogy. It’s a massive fight. Both guys are not necessarily in the title picture right now. It’s a fun fight. We’ve seen it twice and both of them have delivered. I think it’s evenly matched, so I think he should fight Nate Diaz.
"Who I believe he will fight is Michael Chandler because Michael Chandler has taken the UFC by storm. This guy only had four fights (in the UFC so far). He has now had the greatest front-kick knockout of all time, he has knocked out Dan Hooker, fought for the championship, fought in a Fight of the Year fight against Justin Gaethje.
"So his resume is strong, his profile is strong and every single time he wins a fight, he jumps on that microphone and he makes a statement. And in his last fight, he made a statement that he’s ready to fight Conor McGregor.
“I think this fight works. I think Chandler is going to engage him on the terms under which McGregor wants to fight and Chandler is willing to go and fight him at 170. So I think he should fight Nate Diaz, I think that he will fight Michael Chandler.”
Would you rather see Conor McGregor fight Michael Chandler or Nate Diaz? Let us know in the comments section below
A major stumbling block on putting together a trilogy bout between McGregor and Diaz is the American's contract situation. He very publicly wants out of his current UFC deal, and has just one fight left with the organisation.
It is also well documented that Diaz has a mega-money boxing match waiting for him with Jake Paul once he gets that last fight. The UFC are keen not to allow him to leave the promotion with the momentum of a win over McGregor or Dustin Poirier only to transfer it to Paul, who has been an outspoken critic of their business practices.
Meanwhile, Chandler appears to be in the UFC until the end of his career, and would be a safer bet for bosses than Diaz, who has one foot out the door.
