Coach Says Conor McGregor’s Still Targeting ‘BMF’ Showdown With Jorge Masvidal

After Dana White recently said that Conor McGregor could secure another shot at the lightweight title, if he beats Donald Cerrone, talk about the star facing Jorge Masvidal got sidetracked. But, in a recent interview Owen Roddy gave, McGregor’s striking coach reported the former champ is still hoping to battle “Gamebred”.

Roddy says a Masvidal fight is part of the plan

During a promotional tour McGregor did not long ago, he reported that he was interested in fighting the ‘BMF’ title winner, as well as Khabib in 2020. Well, as you know, Masvidal secured the ‘BMF’ belt at UFC 244 last month, by defeating Nate Diaz.

Roddy was a guest on the Eurobash podcast recently, and when asked about whether McGregor’s still targeting Masvidal, he said this (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“That’s the plan,” Roddy said.

“That’s what he wants to do and there’s one thing I always say: when Conor says he wants to do something, if anyone is going to do it, he can. But, let’s not look past Cerrone. He’s a tricky opponent and he’s a veteran with tricks up his sleeve. But Conor going in there the way he looks now, he should do well.”

Now, yes, Roddy, and everyone else is wise to not look past Cerrone. While “Cowboy’s” powers may not be at their peak any longer, there’s no question Cerrone remains ridiculously dangerous. But, will McGregor and the UFC actively pursue a bout with Masvidal, if the Irish fighter wins on January 18th?

That’s a good question. At first glance, it’s easy to say yes, on account of how much money the fight would generate. But White also said that if McGregor wins at UFC 245, he’ll be ready to step in for either Khabib or Tony Ferguson, if one of them gets injured for their April 18th bout.

So, would the UFC move forward with a Masvidal – McGregor if that’s the case? Or, wait until after Nurmagomedov – Ferguson? If Khabib defends the belt, would the UFC be willing to risk the rematch, via McGregor fighting one of the most dangerous guys on the roster?

The other component here is that Khabib has repeatedly said McGregor needs to do a lot more, than just beat Cerrone, before he’s willing to fight him again. Might he change his mind if Conor faces Masvidal and wins?

Roddy comments on McGregor fighting at 170 again

And in terms of McGregor’s upcoming bout with Cerrone, which is going down at 170, Roddy had this to say:

“It’s that Conor. He’s been at this weight for awhile. He’s used to training at this weight; grappling and sparring, running and doing the miles. His body knows how to move that weight around now and he knows how to move it around quickly. There’s no killing himself to make weight and there’s no limit calories in the last three weeks of camp trying to get down to weight…”

There you have it. If 2020 does indeed, see McGregor fight three times, it’s going to be a massive, massive year for the UFC and MMA as a whole.