“The rumours are true! Mr. Confidence returns to save fighting again! Call your grandma! Nanny, we did it! Watch and pay me. F— you pay me,” Conor McGregor wrote on social media, delivering news of his positive negotiations with the UFC in his usual bravado. Though the Irishman’s return has been delayed, this time the situation is turning favorable for him. As ‘The Notorious’ eyes a comeback, a potential opponent has also emerged.

After the former two-division UFC champion’s White House return plans fizzled out, prominent MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that McGregor could return during the prestigious International Fight Week in July. With that in mind, fans speculated about several opponents. However, Helwani has since provided another update, revealing that Max Holloway is currently the frontrunner to face McGregor, sidelining UFC legend Jorge Masvidal.

“Max Holloway ain’t playing games,” Helwani said in the Ariel Helwani Show. “So, front-runner Max Holloway. Conor McGregor he’s confirming right then and there. There haven’t been any rumors about his return, and so I think that the UFC recognizes that they have gotta get their biggest star back. I think they are gonna pay him better than what they were talking to Jon Jones about. Better than the Conor Benn number, all that stuff. 

I think people are gonna be excited about it. Even Max said 170. When Max put out that clip, I knew exactly what he was doing.  He hasn’t talked about Conor in quite some time. Doing that, and then he did it, and it made all the sense.  Imagine thinking before that BMF title fight the loser would end up fighting Conor. I thought if Max would’ve won, they would’ve done the BMF title fight. Perhaps this is an indication that they didn’t love the Charles fight. I think we’re gonna see him on July 11,” he added.

Following Max Holloway’s loss at UFC 326, fans believed Conor McGregor could face the new BMF champion, Charles Oliveira, for the symbolic belt. However, the Brazilian’s wrestling-heavy approach in that win likely ruled out a clash with ‘The Notorious’, as fans would not want another grappling-heavy matchup. For that reason, a rematch with ‘Blessed’ has picked up steam again.

Even though the former 145 lbs king lost his belt, he remains one of the biggest names in the UFC and would match up well with McGregor in a fan-friendly bout during International Fight Week. It has been over a decade since their last fight in 2013, and both have evolved into far better fighters. Because of that backstory, ‘Blessed’ recently showed interest in facing ‘The Notorious’ in any weight class.

Moreover, Daniel Cormier had shown interest in this matchup before Holloway’s UFC 326 clash, so there’s already some hype behind it.  That said, while signs point toward a high-profile rematch, Jorge Masvidal has also emerged as a possibility.

Ahead of the UFC White House event, Jorge Masvidal was rumored to return against Conor McGregor, and fans showed interest in the matchup. Still, the fight remained a rumor and failed to materialize. But hopes rose again, especially as Masvidal eyes a UFC return after rejecting a Netflix offer. However, Ariel Helwani clarified that the Miami star is not in talks to face ‘The Notorious’ next.

“I saw Masvidal said the UFC wants him to come back and they have an idea who the opponent is, and I saw people say, ‘Oh, he’s gotta be talking about Conor.’ He’s not talking about Conor,” Helwani said on his show.

To be fair, Dana White already labeled the matchup “goofy” in a TMZ Sports interview, which gives a clear picture of what the UFC actually thinks about a Jorge Masvidal vs. Conor McGregor fight. But as UFC legend’s name has been sidelined, one of ‘The Notorious’s former foes believes a different matchup would make complete sense for him.

Dustin Poirier believes Michael Chandler was the perfect fight for Conor McGregor

Before Max Holloway or anyone else emerged as Conor McGregor’s possible opponent, Michael Chandler was almost guaranteed to face ‘The Notorious’. Both shared The Ultimate Fighter Season 31 as opposite coaches and were scheduled to fight at UFC 303, but the Irishman’s last-minute toe injury spoiled the fun completely.

After that fallout, the UFC didn’t entertain running the fight back, and Chandler ended up accepting a fight against Mauricio Ruffy at the UFC Freedom 250 card. So, with ‘Iron’ facing a different opponent, his chances of fighting McGregor have dropped again. However, Dustin Poirier, who defeated McGregor twice, believes Chandler would have been a better stylistic matchup for the former champ.

“I thought the Chandler fight was a layup for him, a great matchup for him,” Poirier said on The Joe Rogan Experience. “He’s up there, 38 or 39, but it’s just a layup for Conor. Chandler’s hittable, covers distance not that technically. Conor’s a sniper. I just think that’s a great matchup for him.”

And that’s true, Chandler is stylistically a better matchup for McGregor, as he prefers to stand and trade and doesn’t use his wrestling very much. The fight would have made sense, with ‘Iron’ in a later stage of his career and McGregor returning after years away. But the reality is the UFC likely wants ‘The Notorious’ against a much bigger star.

That said, who do you think McGregor should face next? Let us know in the comments section below.