Joe Rogan makes his pick for Conor McGregor’s next opponent

There are plenty of interesting options on the table for the next fight of former UFC lightweight and featherweight champ Conor McGregor. In the opinion of UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, however, there is one matchup that stands out from the rest: A trilogy fight with Nate Diaz.

McGregor and Diaz have met twice previously, earning a win apiece, and Rogan believes the timing couldn’t be better for a tie-breaking trilogy fight.

The UFC need only make it worth Diaz’s while.

“That’ the big money fight,” the UFC commentator said on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast recently (transcript via Sports Joe). “If I was a promoter, I’d be calling Nate and saying, ‘What do we have to do?’… Give him what he wants. Give him a lot of money!”

If the UFC is unable to coax Nate Diaz back to the cage, Joe Rogan also feels that a recently discussed fight between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone would be a big deal.

“How good did Cowboy look against Mike Perry?” he queried. “That is a new Cowboy Cerrone. He looked different; looked smooth. Like a Goddamn executioner.”

“That’s a fight that I would make. I would make that fight. That’s a f**king exciting fight and that’s also a big sell. You could sell the shit out of that. That’s a big fight.

“But Cowboy has not been fighting at that weight – 155. He has done the majority of his fights at 170 – Till, Masvidal, Perry, Leon Edwards… but we could still make 155. He’s not a big 170.”

Donald Cerrone, of course, has since been linked to a possible fight with surging contender Alex Hernandez, which would seem to rule this bout out for the moment.

Furthermore, Conor McGregor will not be able to fight until he receives his punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission — the result of his post-fight brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team at UFC 229.

What do you think of these ideas from Joe Rogan?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 12/10/2018.