Daniel Cormier is a close ally and former training partner to Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, he couldn’t stop himself from applauding Conor McGregor while discussing the Irishman’s influence in UFC’s All-Time 30 roster.
Conor McGregor is the latest inclusion in the list. Daniel Cormier, Miesha Tate, and several Korean UFC veterans reflected their views on McGregor’s superstardom that has also benefitted his rivals throughout.
Daniel Cormier admitted how Khabib Nurmagomedov became a superstar overnight after the infamous UFC 229 clash against ‘Notorious’. ‘DC’ also touted the same fate for Dustin Porier after beating McGregor twice at UFC 257 and UFC 264 respectively.
Cormier said, “I don’t know if anything speaks how special he is, is that everybody that can beat him. Now not just fight him. If you can beat him, your level of stardom goes to ten. From Khabib when he beat him [McGregor]. Khabib went from $2million Instagram followers to 10 million overnight. Dustin Poirier overnight. They are gaining millions and millions of followers.”
Conor McGregor has lost three of his last four UFC fights. Having knocked out Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in between his loss to Khabib and two losses against Poirier, the Irishman is yet to announce his return.
That said, Conor McGregor’s comeback is expected to take place in early 2024. His last defeat against Poirier happened in an unfortunate way as the Former UFC champion misplanted his foot and broke his ankle.
Several people thought it would be the end of his MMA career. Nevertheless, McGregor has completely recovered and looks motivated to set his much-anticipated UFC return.
Who Will Conor McGregor Face Next?
Per the TUF 31 outcome and various official citations, Conor McGregor will face ex-Bellator LW champion Michael Chandler on his UFC return. The two have been teasing the fight for a long time without any official fight date on board yet. Meanwhile, it is also unclear whether the former two-weight champion will comeback to 155 lbs.
A few months back, Conor McGregor teased a potential return to the welterweight category where he is 2-1 across two fights against Nate Diaz and one against Donald Cerrone. Although Michael Chandler has shown willingness to go up to 170 lbs, he might be one of the many options left beforehand McGregor.
