Joe Rogan thinks it would be a mistake for the UFC to match Conor McGregor up with Kamaru Usman after suffering back-to-back stoppage defeats to Dustin Poirier.
Rogan isn’t sure who McGregor should fight next but he would like to see the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion accept a tune-up fight before he challenges Usman for the welterweight title.
The longtime UFC analyst and podcast host isn’t suggesting McGregor should fight a nobody in his UFC return but that it would be unwise, and perhaps dangerous, to “put him in there” with a champion after suffering a broken leg against Poirier.
“If Conor wants the most chance of success, I would say fight a guy who is a little below championship-level,” Rogan said during a recent appearance on ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson’ (h/t Sportskeeda). Maybe like a guy on the come-up, who Conor has an advantage over, but is still a competitive fight. Give him a test. But don’t put him in there right away with Usman.”
“I think, honestly, when boxers come back from a long layoff and they come back from a loss, one thing that boxers do that’s smart is they have a tune-up fight. I think there’s a reason why they’ve been using tune-up fights forever like astute managers. They know you got to knock the dust off and you’ll be better in the next performance.”
McGregor is still rehabilitating his broken leg but the Irishman recently began sparring again and foresees himself returning to competition by the summer of this year.
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