UFC 264 - The Death of Contender Conor

Alright alright alright... Heres my question. Is this our last chance at seeing Conor as true contender? I believe so. 

Now, to preface, I am not speculating that Conor won't fight again if he loses, I simply feel that if Conor loses this fight, then all we get is pointless (yet fun) money fights until he retires. 

Before 2021, Conor hadn't fought with the mindset of "If I win this, then I get a title shot in X division" since he beat Dennis Siver in 2015. Every fight since then (pre-2021)  has been a title fight, money fight, or whatever he was doing with Cowboy for 40 seconds. I think, pending UFC 264, we could see Conor fight Nate for the trilogy, Masvidal possibly, Max 2 could be fun, or even the dreaded Conor vs whichever Paul brother the wheel lands on.

I'm new to Tapology and would love to hear what you all think on this subject. Also, for transparency, I dont think Conor has much chance at all against Dustin in the trilogy. 

It's interesting, Conor has been finished in all his losses. He beat a washed up Cerrone who is a bully then when it gets tough he quits. Similar fighters. Both on the decline, I see Conor losing and retiring.  

• Cage Warriors 51 · 2012.12.31
• Conor McGregor · KO/TKO · Round 1
• Cage Warriors 45 · 2012.02.18
• Conor McGregor · KO/TKO · Round 1
• Cage Warriors · 2011.09.08
• Conor McGregor · Submission · Round 2

I knew he was special but I didn't think he'd become so famous 

* Edited at 06.28.2021, 1:27 PM ET *

Last chance for Conor as a true contender, I think it is not. Let's say he looses this fight, but wins his next one against someone the likes of Diaz. So the very next fight they set up after, that is for a title shot. He's always one win away from "being back". He's too popular and Dana likes him too much to be done if he loses this fight.

I think UFC 264 will be the last time that Conor McGregor is viewed as a top guy in the UFC.

Yeah, I absolutely see what you mean. My point is less of "Does Conor ever fight for a belt?" but more so "Does Conor ever fight another Top-5 contender for a title shot?".

But, you're very right. As long as Conor doesnt look totally washed this weekend, he will be a heavy draw. 

If this were boxing, I think Conor McGregor would be a guy for up and comers to get wins off of.

* Edited at 07.06.2021, 3:48 PM ET *

I think the post would make more sense if you said that Conor would not longer be in his prime. You can't go higher than your peak, and his peak is Aldo and Alvarez fights...that is now 5 years ago. Maybe if Conor can hit that ceiling again he can win the belt again, but so far we have yet to see anything quite like it from him. His sparring footage always looks great, but on fight night he just doesn't have that "aura" around him anymore (except for that Cerrone fight, which everyone seems to be in agreement that it's just an outlier and a perfect storm of a fighter coming off the TKO losses and Conor needing a win really badly, etc). So if Conor can't finish Dustin I will personally see that as my point being proven, because a prime Michael Johnson was able to sleep Dustin and he doesn't hit nearly as hard as Conor, and you can't condition or improve your "chin" especially after you go through wars with Alvarez, Gaethje, Holloway and Hooker lol

Yeah conor sits right at bottom of top 5 for me his striking can be brilliant but he has little else to offer.
He was killing diaz in first fight then got tagged panicked and gave the fight up.
That being said his skills will keep him around this level for the foreseeable future.
If he does diaz 3 I want it at 155 and I will pick him for ko he knows diaz tricks and timing he should beat him Much like bj vs hughes 3 but it will take more than one punch one combo night night end of trilogy.

He will always be a draw. Even if he loses to Dustin Poirier, he is still one good performance away from a title shot. Most guys with the belt would take that fight now and especially in the future. 

And he will always have a strong following that eat up his words and will tune in for his fight. In a recent interview he said, he is keeping the enemy "in a suspended state of terror." Most people would be laughed out of the interview with a response like that referring to someone who knocked you out.

His mental warfare and showbiz hoopla can and will still have an affect on his opponents, but I don't think it will work on DP to the extent to get him away from his game-winning game-plan.

I enjoy and am grateful to McGregor and Poirier for providing such entertainment in and out of the ring.

i think  Porier will knock mcgregor out. i respect connor for everything  he did for the sport, but he's not in the level of top 5 of lightwheight division. Despite of this, he always make a good fight. 
Porier will put him down in the first and second rounds, and will knock him out in third.  

Michael pereira fight will be the most interesting fight of the night. this guy are insane and he have a great future in ufc. one day he will bring the belt for brazil.

i think gilbert burns will submit wonderboy in the second round. he is a most highest level grappler of this division, and jiu jitsu always save.