Conor McGregor’s Manager Opens Up On His Options For Next Fight
Conor McGregor made an explosive return to the Octagon, defeating welterweight opponent, Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds at UFC 246. His return coming after a 15 month hiatus. The Notorious”, once unbeatable in the featherweight division seems much more comfortable fighting at 170lbs.
Once a holder of both the UFC featherweight and lightweight belts, it seems McGregor may have set his sights on becoming the champion of another weight division. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Conor’s manager Audie Attar, acknowledged how comfortable he is fighting at welterweight. However, he expects to see his man return to the lightweight division sometime in the near future.
“I look at all my clients as human beings and I’ve seen him at 145, 155 and 170 in mixed martial arts and he just appears to be a lot happier at 170. It’s not as strenuous on the body as it relates to the weight cut. That does not mean he wouldn’t be able to make 155. 145, I just think it’s unhealthy. To go back down to that weight class would just be unhealthy.
“But 155 is doable and something I know he’s keen on doing again, so that’s not out of the realm of possibility. But you can’t deny how comfortable he was at 170. That was his normal frame. So not having to put your body through a rigorous weight cut, there’s something to be said about that.”
As much as McGregor wants to continue fighting at welterweight, UFC President Dana White, has said that he will “probably” face the winner of the upcoming lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, which goes down at UFC 249.
Attar believes McGregor is more than ready, should another fight opportunity presents itself in the near future.
“I think that particularly if you’re able to keep your strength or improve your strength and your muscle mass, and more importantly be able to carry your weight to keep your speed and quickness and explosiveness, well then why not? It’s all about how each individual athlete feels on the night and that’s the most important thing.
“Gaining a competitive advantage is not always having a size, height, speed advantage but also having the right mindset and the right energy come the night of competition. It’s really a subjective thing and you’ve got to leave it to each athlete to decide what’s best for them.”
And Audie Attar is not the only one who thinks McGregor is preparing for another fight sooner rather than later, his coach John Kavanagh tweeted his disbelief earlier this week, that Conor was in the gym at 8am. The old Conor McGregor would never be seen in the gym that early in the morning.
Conor McGregor certainly seems focused and ready to go again – who should he face next?
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