If it was up to John Kavanagh, Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon would be against a former UFC champion.
Kavanagh, the SBG Ireland head coach who’s trained McGregor for more than a decade, told The Mac Life on Monday that ex-lightweight champ Frankie Edgar is his preferred next opponent for “The Notorious,” who’s been out of action since last year.
“I think him and Frankie Edgar would be a great fight,” Kavanagh said. “I think it was in the works when Conor was kind of going on that featherweight tear. He’s an ex-world champion, great fighter.
“Yeah, if it was me, I would love to see the Frankie Edgar fight this year, if possible. And then go on another run in 2020.”
That timeline, unless Kavanagh knows something the rest of us don’t, likely won’t work out. McGregor last week indicated in a tweet that he’d like to fight Dec. 14. But his tweet specifically mentioned Dublin and not Las Vegas, which is where UFC 245 is being held on that date.
In reaction to that tweet, UFC president Dana White said that if McGregor doesn’t fight Dec. 14, “he’ll fight early next year.”
Regardless of when it happens, Kavanagh likes Edgar for two primary reasons: He likes the style matchup, and it’s a legacy fight between two of the promotion’s all-time greats.
“Frankie has a style that’s very difficult to deal with. You’ve got to train very hard for it. But it’s also one we’re somewhat familiar with, even from his first fight with (Marcus]) Brimage,” Kavanagh said. “This small, fast guy, quick hands, wrestling. But Frankie’s just been in there with everybody, (he’s a) world champion, he’s beaten legends like B.J. Penn, and so on. I just think that’s a great match for the fans. And for me, I’d love to see it.”
Since a five-fight winning streak from 2013-2015, Edgar has struggled to put together a run of success. He’s 3-3 in his last six fights dating back to a UFC 200 loss to Jose Aldo for the interim featherweight title. In his most recent fight, Edgar failed to claim the 145-pound title, losing a unanimous decision to champ Max Holloway in July at UFC 240.
McGregor, meanwhile, most recently lost to lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov via fourth-round submission last October at UFC 229. McGregor’s return to the cage has been delayed by a suspension for his role in the post-fight melee, as well as a string of run-ins with the law in 2019.
