UFC legend Michael Bisping tips Conor McGregor to fight Nate Diaz next instead of Khabib or Jorge Masvidal
CONOR MCGREGOR fights Nate Diaz next in a trilogy decider because Ramadan rules out devout Muslim Khabib Nurmagomedov.
British UFC legend Michael Bisping was cageside in Las Vegas on Saturday night and watched how quickly and violently the Irishman dispatched Donald Cerrone, before predicting the future.
The former two-weight champion is the money fight every man in MMA wants next, with welterweight champ Kamaru Usman keen and Jorge Masvidal eager.
But Floyd Mayweather is also interested in a boxing rematch, following his 2017 win, and eight-division icon Manny Pacquiao is teasing an all-southpaw showdown.
But The Count has revealed it is a surprise name in the frame for a Spring battle, with McGregor eyeing up a rapid March return while Khabib recovers from his next assignment and fasting between April 23 – May 23.
With the score between Diaz and McGregor currently at 1-1, Bisping told ESPN: “I guarantee he fights Nate Diaz next.
“Khabib isn’t going to fight him next, he is going to fight Tony Ferguson on April 18 and he will then have Ramadan.
“So even if beats Tony, he is not going to fight anyone else soon.
“Masvidal and Usman are going to fight each other.
“Conor has already teased Diaz and it is good business, the fans and everybody else wants to see it and it makes money. That is what happens, that is my prediction.”
Bisping, 40, was bowled over by McGregor’s sensational 40-second comeback win at the T-Mobile Arena, after 15 months out.
But he was definitely not sold on the three shoulder strikes McGregor whacked the American with in their brief clinch in the centre of the octagon.
The rock-hard retired veteran insists he could absorb similar blows without feeling much more than a tickle.
The UK MMA pioneer, who remains close to UFC, said: “McGregor looked electric, he did it in style, well done to him and I look forward to seeing what he does next.
“But, if you shoulder barged me in the face all day long, I would not feel a Goddamn thing. Shoulder strikes are an annoyance, they are not a lethal blow.
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“I don’t want to hear any c*** about how he has been practicing those or that his shoulder strikes are unlike any others known to man. No, that is not the case
“When someone does that to you, you should say ‘can you please stop f****** doing that because it does not hurt’. It’s like being stamped on the toe or getting a little hammer-fist to the thigh.
“It was creative and inventive and that was all that was available at the time, he did well, he did good.”