For Conor McGregor’s return fight, the Irishman has a lineup of fighters wanting to face him. But who does McGregor want to fight? Considering his stature, you’d think a veteran or established name on the UFC roster makes sense. But apparently, neither of those options is available for the Irishman.

‘The Notorious’ is eyeing a return on the UFC White House card, expected to go down on June 14. Initially, he had a few names in mind to fight. But recently, McGregor noted that the bout would be against a “no-name”. While that led to several speculations, former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo has teased that Carlos Prates could be that potential fighter.

Cejudo teases McGregor vs. Prates fight

“Conor McGregor vs Carlos Prates?! 🤔👀” wrote Henry Cejudo on X.

Now, Cejudo himself is not quite sure about whether that would be the option for Conor McGregor‘s return fight. But then again, considering the latest developments, Carlos Prates does seem like an interesting matchup as both fighters have a similar fighting style and love standup exchanges.

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After his TKO victory at Dana White’s Contender Series, Prates has recorded 6 knockout victories in UFC. His only loss in UFC came against Ian Garry at UFC on ESPN 66, but he has since defeated Geoff Neal and former champion Leon Edwards. A match against McGregor would push his chances for a title shot against Islam Makhachev.

McGregor’s last fight in the Octagon was against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. It has been almost five years since he returned to the octagon. The historic UFC White House event provided him with a sudden motivation to come back from exile. And, ‘The Notorious’ provided his availability.

Earlier fighters like Jorge Masvidal, Michael Chandler, and Colby Covington were frequently linked, but the UFC has not yet made an official announcement regarding McGregor’s opponent. While UFC lightweight Mauricio Ruffy called out the Irishman after his UFC 325 win, his Fighting Nerds teammate seems to be ahead of him in the race.

The Brazilian welterweight, in particular, is slowly building his reputation as a knockout artist, with all six of his UFC wins coming by KO. However, amid that, are there any other opponent options for McGregor’s UFC return? A renowned MMA journalist believes a UFC lightweight fighter would be a perfect match.

Ariel Helwani breaks down why Conor McGregor vs. Paddy Pimblett makes sense

Paddy Pimblett is one of the fighters who is often likened to Conor McGregor. Similar to the ‘young’ McGregor once had, Pimblett is enjoying the rising popularity. And that becomes one of the reasons for renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani to call for a matchup between them.

“The big fish for the White House card is Conor McGregor, right? That’s the big dog, that’s the big draw,” said Helwani on his show. “Of the realistic options, Paddy’s probably the biggest. Paddy is a big-time draw. Dana White said afterwards [UFC 324] exceeded expectations by double, but of the realistic options and of the potential winnable options, Paddy’s probably the best one.”

‘The Baddy’ is fresh off a defeat against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. Following that, he would surely want a notable opponent, and who’s better than a superstar like McGregor?

But then again, currently, all of these are speculations, whether they come from Henry Cejudo or Ariel Helwani. They are simply teasing or breaking down the best potential matchup for ‘The Notorious’.

On that note, who do you think the Irishman fights on his return? Do share your thoughts in the comments below!