After Dana White ruled out Michael Chandler for Conor McGregor’s comeback fight, Jorge Masvidal raised fans’ hopes of being a possible replacement. But just when that idea started to do the rounds, Dana White shut it down by calling it “goofy.” With the match off the table, ‘Gamebred’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has reportedly moved on from the idea. However, the Dominance MMA boss believes he has another strong option.

Along with Masvidal, Abdelaziz also represents Justin Gaethje. And since he could not make McGregor vs Masvidal happen, he now feels the Irishman could still face ‘The Highlight’ for the undisputed lightweight title, if Ilia Topuria ends up vacating the belt at the White House event. 

Ali Abdelaziz pitches Conor McGregor vs Justin Gaethje 

“If Ilia Topuria doesn’t want, he should be stripped, and Justin will fight Arman Tsarukyan. Or, screw the interim belt. Grudge match, June 14th. America’s 250th birthday. Justin Gaethje vs Conor McGregor. What about that? Bring an Irish drunk guy to the White House… fight Justin Gaethje. Conor has been running from for all his life, but I think right now, he doesn’t have options,” Abelaziz told Submission radio.  

For those unaware, the Dominance MMA boss claimed last year in the same interview that the UFC offered McGregor a fight with Gaethje five times, and the Irish star ignored it every time. And even though Abdelaziz has once again stirred the pot around that blockbuster matchup, it now feels highly unlikely that both fighters will fight for a belt at the White House. The reason is simple. Ilia Topuria has shown zero interest in giving up his lightweight title. 

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In a recent social media exchange, ‘El Matador’ confirmed he is targeting a return between April and June this year. Moreover, the Georgian Spaniard also plans to defend his belt against the winner of UFC 324’s main event. So, he’s definitely eyeing a defense. With so much movement already happening in the lightweight division, bringing McGregor back into the title picture suddenly looks like a tough task.  

Now, with the lightweight title fight out of the equation for ‘The Notorious’ comeback fight, Abdelaziz seems more persistent about the Masvidal matchup, and he thinks the fight can still happen.

Can ‘The Notorious’ vs ‘Gambred’ still happen?   

Conor McGregor and Ali Abdelaziz have shared a bitter rivalry since UFC 229 when McGregor faced Khabib Nurmagomedov. With both teams trading insults at each other, both have rarely had anything positive to say about each other. However, despite that tension, the Dominance MMA CEO still wants the UFC to book ‘The Notorious’ against Jorge Masvidal.

“He’s delusional, but also he’s a big draw, so I don’t know if they’re going to be able to pay him or not pay him, but the Masvidal fight is always here,” Abdelaziz added in the Submission Radio interview.  

The veteran manager did not explain exactly how the superfight could happen, but a few ideas are already floating around. At this point, ‘Gamebred’ has retired from the UFC and has already faced Nate Diaz in a boxing match. McGregor, on the other hand, still has two fights left on his UFC contract. So if the Irishman eventually completes his run with Dana White’s promotion, he could meet the Florida native in a boxing bout or even a bare-knuckle fight.

That said, Conor McGregor is reportedly already negotiating with the UFC to compete under the Paramount+ CBS era, since his previous deal was tied to the PPV model with revenue points. So there is clearly movement behind the scenes. And while nothing is confirmed, the door remains open for both stars to strike a deal and finally settle things in a pure striking showdown.

What do you think? Is the fantasy superfight possible? Let us know in the comments section below.