It's official folks! Dana White recently announced that Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather are gonna trade hands in Las Vegas on August 26th in Las Vegas and while it will surely go down as one of the biggest fights in combat sports history, it begs the question, what will these fighters do next? I think it's safe to assume that this may very well be the 50 - 0 cherry on top of the illustrious hall of fame Sunday that is Mayweather's career. He'll ride off into the sunset having cemented his legacy, while also making $100 million, all in a night's work.
Mcgregor, however, is still in the prime of his career and it's hard to imagine he'll just hang it up after the biggest fight this side of the century.
The free roll
It's important to recognize that what happens in this bout will have very little negative impact on Mcgregor's UFC career. This is essentially a free roll. If he wins, he'll shoot through the stratosphere and become an international household name, even to the nonsports fan and If he loses, he gets a free pass because he switched sports and took on one of the greatest boxers in history for his first fight. Whatever the outcome, McGregor goes back to being the first ever undisputed two weight champion and a demi-god among the UFC fan base.
Because of this, Mcgregor has the luxury of being the architect of his legacy, unlike the majority of fighters in combat sports. Now, he still has to build that legacy, but at least he can map it out and choose his fights strategically.
Controlling his legacy
As we all found out from the Rousey-Nunes fight, the reign of a combat sports star can end rather abruptly.
This phenomenon is no surprise to the MMA community who knows the shelf life of MMA stars are the shortest in all of sports. For this reason, it seems well within reason that Mcgregor is going to be highly selective with his fights and fight way less. Gone are the days where he is the most active fighter on the roster who doesn't flinch at taking fights on two weeks notice to save a card.
This will be the case simply because he no longer has to and less simply because of the potential risk his brand faces by increasing his likelihood of a loss to some up and coming killer waiting for his shot.
Mcgregor vs. GSP
This leads me to believe that Mcgregor will be rooting for Georges St. Pierre in his upcoming bout against Michael Bisping (If it ever happens) in hopes of setting up another superfight between Mcgregor and GSP the following year. This would surely be the biggest UFC fight of all time. The legend GSP returns to the UFC to reclaim his throne as the greatest ever, only to be challenged by the world-conquering Irishman. For Mcgregor's legacy, this is an ideal fight. Not only is it a showdown of legends with a title on the line, but he'll be catching GSP on the back nine of his career.
GSP will be 35 by that time and he'll have just gone through another grueling fight camp after taking three years off. Not to mention, GSP will probably have to cut weight for a fight with Mcgregor as he walks around at 185lbs, making his camp that much more grueling. GSP may very well be prime for picking by the legend killing Irishman should he get through his return matchup with Bisping.
The trilogy
In the event that Mcgregor dismantles GSP, the most logical next step is one the fans should have no problem with and that is the long-awaited trilogy fight with Nate Diaz at 170lbs for the title. Diaz holds the moniker of being the only man to beat Mcgregor when he was "Mcgregor." Mcgregor was also beaten early in his career but that was before he transformed into the "Notorious One." After graciously accepting his defeat, Mcgregor immediately requested a rematch and what ensued was one of the greatest fights we've ever seen with Mcgregor emerging victorious.
As it stands, both men have a victory over each other, making a rubber match all but necessary if the Irishman doesn't want to leave any loose ends in his legacy.
Riding off into the sunset
After that, your guess is as good as mine. The landscape of the UFC will be so different by then, that a new superstar could emerge that sets up another epic show down with the "Notorious One." Who knows, we might even see Mcgregor headline Wrestlemania against John Cena after that. And if you think that's ridiculous, just remember, he's never boxed professionally and he's set to face one of the greatest boxers of all time later this year on August 26Th.
