Conor McGregor Next Fight Candidates After Press Conference Teasing Return to UFC

Conor McGregor's return to mixed martial arts, at long last, is close at hand. The Notorious MMA hasn't hit the the Octagon since his loss -- and the outrageous post-fight melee -- at UFC 229, but at a McGregor press conference Wednesday in Ukraine, the former two-division champion teased his next big move. (UPDATE: McGregor has announced that his return fight will take place on January 18th in Las Vegas).

McGregor has himself challenged Frankie Edgar to a lightweight bout, but UFC boss Dana White quickly shot that down as an impossible dream, with all signs pointing to Edgar moving down to the featherweight division. With that in mind, let's hash out four top candidates to take on Conor.

4. Dustin Poirier

Earth to Dana: just ink this thing right now. We may not get our wish right out of the gate, as Conor may prefer a tune-up, but the Diamond makes all the sense in the world for him down the line. Dustin Poirier lost some sheen when he fell to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242, but he remains a truly potent force at 155 pounds.

3. Gregor Gillespie

He still has to deal with Kevin Lee in November at Madison Square Garden, but 32-year-old Gregor Gillespie is undefeated in his MMA career, including 6-0 in UFC with five straight stoppages. He's a talented striker -- just ask Yancy Madeiros -- but McGregor's crucible here will be surviving the Gift's lethal arm triangle choke.

2. Donald Cerrone

The Cowboy will throw hands with anyone at any time. We know this. The universe knows this. Only two other UFC fighters have four bouts under their belts in 2019, and Donald Cerrone has the kind of legendary cachet that transcends wins and losses. Notably, he and McGregor expressed mutual interest in fighting following Cowboy's demolition of Alex Hernandez back in January.

1. The Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson Loser

While Conor may want in on some of that BMF action back up at 170 pounds after Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz duke it out at UFC 244, first thing's first. He doesn't deserve a fast-tracked title shot in a loaded lightweight division, but it would be smart business to let the Norotorious take on whoever comes up short in the essentially inevitable championship throwdown between Khabib and Tony Ferguson. If you want a non-title fight at 155 that can still headline a pay-per-view, this is it.