John Locher/Linked Press
Had Conor McGregor won his major tournament fight in opposition to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on Saturday, this article would perhaps perhaps perhaps additionally effectively be about him anxious the UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, within the near future. However that’s now not what took place.
As a change, the game’s biggest star was brutalized and one draw or the opposite overwhelmed when his tibia broke within the waning moments of the principle spherical. It was a chaotic scene, the same to the loss of life of a celeb within the celestial sense, rather then that it was anguish, anger and confusion that burst forth as an more than a few of superheated topic.
“You might perhaps additionally simply hang purchased to be kidding me,” UFC commentator Joe Rogan talked about because the replay showed McGregor’s ruined left ankle folding below the burden of a backward step.
After this unpleasant setback, which decreased McGregor’s UFC lightweight file to a frightful 1-3, the used champ-champ’s first priority will likely be a long and undeniably painful recovery. As soon as his injure begins to repair, he’ll inevitably launch to trouble his subsequent inch, and when he does, he’ll most definitely be disappointed.
The unhappy truth is that the Irishman is all of sudden instant on options.
That is to now not bid he’s entirely without them. He would perhaps perhaps perhaps additionally partake in a tiebreaking trilogy with Nate Diaz, which would perhaps seemingly dwell mountainous industry at any time when it be booked. On the opposite hand, Diaz has incessantly been subtle to coax into the Octagon. Between that and McGregor’s recovery, which is probably going to employ somewhat quite loads of time, it be subtle to take into consideration this one going down any time almost today. Even a 2022 date would seemingly require quite loads of exiguous miracles to attain fruition.
Previous that, there is additionally a fourth fight with Poirier. Whereas Poirier won his three-fight sequence with McGregor, the dwell of their third near for the duration of with out a doubt had a flukey quality to it—ample, now not now not as a lot as, that UFC President Dana White, Poirier and the Irishman himself all seem obvious to revisit the opponents sometime down the aspect toll road.
“The fight did now not receive finished,” White talked about at the UFC 264 submit-fight press conference. “You might perhaps now not hang a fight make that draw. We will leer how this entire ingredient plays out. Who knows how long Conor’s out, so Poirier will dwell his ingredient till Conor’s ready.
“Or now not it is all about timing, what is going down on, what occurs [between now and] then,” White added. “Conor goes into surgical scheme [on Sunday]. We do now not know the draw long he’s going to be out, how valuable rehab and therapy he’s going to want.”
A doable fourth fight would perhaps perhaps perhaps be a tough sell given the manner Poirier handled McGregor of their 2d two bouts. Whereas McGregor had his moments in both fights he lost, there isn’t very any denying that Poirier set aside forth the a ways stronger performances. At this level, all of us know who the upper fighter is. Poirier is additionally headed for larger and bigger things—particularly a crack at Oliveira’s lightweight strap—and his interest in struggling with McGregor would perhaps perhaps perhaps additionally simply proceed because the emotions of the 2d dissipate.
McGregor has varied options past rematches with Poirier and Diaz, equivalent to fights with used lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, used period in-between champion Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov stablemate Islam Makhachev, however none of those males seem love notable ample co-stars for the Irish knockout artist, even at this grim juncture of his profession.
Therein lies the actual conundrum: The one who handiest takes the largest fights accessible now not deserves mountainous fights.
In line with all of that, it be subtle to bid what’s going to near subsequent. Per chance this would perhaps also be the Diaz rematch. Per chance he’ll receive fortunate and receive the Poirier rematch when his leg heals up. Per chance he’ll surprise us all by buckling down and taking over about a lesser-identified contenders so that that you must salvage his footing. Per chance he’ll turn his attention relieve to the boxing ring, where fights with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and trash-talking YouTuber Jake Paul would perhaps perhaps perhaps additionally now stay wide awake for.
Whatever the case, it be unlikely that anything McGregor does will generate the deafening buzz that became weak in his heyday. There are many things that make contributions to stardom in fight sports activities, however none are extra crucial than a success, and McGregor hasn’t been doing ample of that.
He should always tranquil tranquil be the largest star within the game, however as in contrast to his top, he’s burning about as brightly as a streetlight.
