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Conor McGregor is set to make his return to the UFC in January at UFC 246 against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and the mixed martial arts star already has some big plans for his schedule in 2020.
According to UFC president Dana White, McGregor has his sights set on a handful of fights that would have the cash rolling in for the promotion and allow the former two-division champion to re-establish himself as the biggest star in MMA.
White told ESPN.com that the brash Irishman hopes to fight three times in 2020 beginning with his fight against Cerrone.
Along with Cerrone, McGregor wants a rematch against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and ultimately a bout with Jorge Masvidal, who won the “Baddest Motherf*cker” title.
“Conor wants that belt from Masvidal,” White said. “I did it as a one off and like I said, it was fun. It was awesome. We’ll see what happens. This is the reason Conor McGregor is so intriguing and why so many fans love to watch him fight. And you’ve got to love the fact that a guy is willing to fight anybody.
“Believe me, I’ve said this a million times, I’ll say it again, I’ve been in the trenches and when we’re standing the living room and fights pull out, Conor McGregor will fight anybody.”
Dana White has never been one to turn down a big-money fight, so it would not be a surprise if McGregor has bouts with Cerrone, Nurmagomedov, and Masvidal in 2020 as long as he can stay healthy.
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McGregor last appeared inside of the Octagon in October 2018 when he suffered a submission loss to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Prior to his loss to Nurmagomedov, McGregor was on a two-fight winning streak with a welterweight bout victory over Nate Diaz and a Performance of the Night against Eddie Alvarez to claim the 155-pound title on November 12, 2016. However, McGregor was later stripped of the title due to inactivity — he was previously stripped of the featherweight belt after winning the lightweight crown.
In his next fight, McGregor will face Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at the UFC 246 pay-per-view on Saturday, January 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to BetMGM.com, McGregor has opened as nearly a 3-to-1 favorite. The moneyline currently has the former two-division champion as a -278 favorite for the welterweight bout while Cowboy sits at +200. That means a $100 wager on Cerrone would net you $200 in wins, while you would have to bet $278 on McGregor to win $100.
