Israel Adesanya believes Conor McGregor’s next move should be clear once he recovers from the knee injury he suffered against Max Holloway at UFC 329.
McGregor lost to Holloway in the UFC 329 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, injuring his right knee just 69 seconds into the fight. He is set to undergo surgery, which could keep him out of action for a year.
Adesanya shared his immediate impression of McGregor in the aftermath of the loss, saying, "He looked distraught, like a lot of weight on him," and admitting he briefly wondered if "The Notorious" might walk away. "He kind of picked at his glove for a second, so I thought, is he going to retire? I don't think so. But a fight with Max again after a five-year layoff, you're fighting at the top of the heap, you're fighting one of the best to do it, that's a hard fight to come back against."
Instead of a trilogy with Holloway, Adesanya pointed to long-targeted opponent Michael Chandler as the matchup for McGregor’s return and the final bout on his contract. "I say if he does decide to come back later on, Chandler would be the only fight that makes sense because he kind of owes Chandler that fight. He honey-d*cked him for two or three years while Chandler was waiting for the big-money fight. So now after 'The Ultimate Fighter,' after all this time, it would be good for them to finally settle the score because they even have a little bit of – not beef, but they got some heat there."
McGregor previously pulled out of a scheduled UFC 303 fight with Chandler due to a broken pinky toe, but Chandler has defended McGregor amid speculation about a pre-existing injury before UFC 329 and remains open to finally sharing the Octagon with him.
