STEPHEN A. Smith does not want to see Conor McGregor step into the ring against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev’s coach said he would like his fighter to face McGregor at some point in the future.
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McGregor called out Makhachev ahead of his UFC 302 fight against Dustin Poirier to defend his lightweight title.
Makhachev was dealing with a staph infection while training for the fight, and McGregor made sure the world knew about it.
Even so, the lightweight champion submitted Poirier to retain the title in the main event.
McGregor is expected to return to the UFC on June 29th against Michael Chandler in the main fight of UFC 303.
There is a lot of speculation that he could challenge for the title if he wins the match.
Javier Mendez, Makhachev’s coach, said he wants to see McGregor win so he can fight his opponent.
“Conor starts complaining, starting to create drama with Islam,” said Mendez Red Corner MMA.
“Which is good because Conor is the kind of guy you want to root for or cheer against. Regardless, everyone wants to see him, I want to see him defeated by Islam.
“So for me, what he’s doing is getting a lot of attention, so there would be nothing better for me and Khabib (Nurmagomedov) than to have Islam fight him at some point.
“He brought that staph, which is very observant of him, to be honest with you. The only thing is that he observed it too late.
“By the time he mentioned it, it had already been three weeks.”
While Mendez wants to see McGregor step into the ring against Makhachev, not everyone is in favor of the potential fight.
Stephen A. Smith is one of those against the fight, remembering how McGregor did against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I was in Las Vegas for the Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov fight,” said Stephen A. on First Take.
“It was one of the biggest events I have ever participated in in my life. It was unreal.
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“But what we learned in this fight is that Conor McGregor has nothing to do with being in the octagon against a grappler, which is what Makhachev (is).
“This brother here is special and he’s not going to try to attack Conor McGregor.”
McGregor still needs to win the fight against Chandler to get a good shot at Makhachev.
He has not competed since Poirier vs. McGregor 3, in which he suffered a TKO due to a medical stoppage.
This fight was three years ago, in June 2021.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
