Gloves
were laced up, faces and midsections were pummeled, coffers were lined,
and a boxing legend waltzed off to the Las Vegas strip having gotten one
over on Rocky Marciano. But where does that leave Conor McGregor?
In the grand scheme of things, the UFC lightweight champion emerged from Saturday's 10th-round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather unscathed, at least in the figurative sense. In a bout expected to net him nine figures - two more than his largest UFC payday - he impressed casual fans and purists alike in lasting nearly a half hour in the ring with one of the greatest pugilists to have graced it. The defeat leaving him with more options for his eventual return to the cage than he had going into Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on fight night.
If it wasn't already prior to "The Money Fight," the Octagon is now the Irishman's oyster, and while he rides the high of a night of firsts and mulls his next move, here's a look at his most enticing dance partners in both the cage and the ring - in order of likelihood:

The UFC wants its cash cow back in the fold, and if McGregor obliges its designs and returns for the year's last hurrah - UFC 219 - who better to help rake in the pay-per-view scratch and end 2017 with a bang or three than Diaz?
The Stockton scrapper has gotten comfy since earning a career-best $2 million for his rematch with McGregor at UFC 202 and likely won't pocket that kind of scratch again in anything other than a trilogy bout. Should the pair meet for McGregor's lightweight strap on the December bill, not only would both of them close the book on their record-setting rivalry with the highest of stakes, they and the brass would be cashing life-changing checks.
The demand is there. Book it.
As first-rate a clash as Ferguson's date with Lee may be, the fact remains neither of them can put nearly as many butts in the seats as Diaz, which relegates them to the long-awaited rubber match's second fiddle. To their credit, both lightweight contenders have gotten to flapping their gums of late, albeit with little in the way of a reaction from "The Notorious." Simply put, McGregor has bigger fish to fry at the moment.
With the trilogy bout opposite Diaz simply too lucrative for all parties to pass up, the winner of Ferguson vs. Lee will have to settle for seconds and get cozy in the endless queue.
UFC 216's interim title bout should leave the lightweight division with an undisputed challenger-in-waiting to McGregor's throne, although the rankings have already anointed Nurmagomedov that man. Rumored to have turned down the spot that ultimately went to Lee in what would have marked the fourth booking between he and Ferguson - three of them ill-fated - the Russian now eyes a direct shot at McGregor at UFC 219 while brooding in limbo.
As nerve wracking as his promotional stint has been, Nurmagomedov's unblemished record speaks for itself, and if the brass intends to tap the Russian market as president Dana White has intimated, they'd be foolish to book anything other than the top-ranked contender's dream matchup as the maiden voyage's headliner.
Max Holloway might have something to say about that.
A winner of 11 straight, "Blessed" now owns the title McGregor was stripped of last December. And while he appears more concerned with cleaning house at 145 pounds than partaking in superfights at the moment, even he would at least entertain the lucrative opportunity to avenge his last loss - a unanimous decision he lost to McGregor four years ago - should the lightweight king look to reclaim what was once his.
The Dubliner wouldn't have faced Diaz at UFC 196 if dos Anjos - then lightweight champion - hadn't broken his foot during training just days prior. Cut to 17 months later, McGregor is keeping his own counsel and cashing checks while the beltless Brazilian attempts to reinvent himself at welterweight.
Given dos Anjos' less than cushy place in the pecking order and the pair of grueling weight cuts he endured in his last two fights at 155 pounds, there's little other than general principle to justify taking another stab at the ill-fated matchup.
The retired boxer has been campaigning for a grudge match with the Irishman since he unceremoniously left his training camp over the release of unflattering photos taken during a sparring session prior to "The Money Fight," its resolution doing little to tame his desire.
Had McGregor once again made the impossible possible and handed Mayweather his first L, he may very well have been hammering out a deal to meet Malignaggi as of this writing. Instead, the Irishman acquitted himself well, but not well enough to warrant another walk to the ring - even against a good, albeit far from great pugilist in the Brooklyn native - leaving Malignaggi no choice but to fade back into obscurity and learn to enjoy life away from the squared circle.
Get over it, Paulie. Go hit a pillow.
In the grand scheme of things, the UFC lightweight champion emerged from Saturday's 10th-round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather unscathed, at least in the figurative sense. In a bout expected to net him nine figures - two more than his largest UFC payday - he impressed casual fans and purists alike in lasting nearly a half hour in the ring with one of the greatest pugilists to have graced it. The defeat leaving him with more options for his eventual return to the cage than he had going into Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on fight night.
If it wasn't already prior to "The Money Fight," the Octagon is now the Irishman's oyster, and while he rides the high of a night of firsts and mulls his next move, here's a look at his most enticing dance partners in both the cage and the ring - in order of likelihood:

Nate Diaz
Much like Saturday's superfight, this one is a win for everyone involved.The UFC wants its cash cow back in the fold, and if McGregor obliges its designs and returns for the year's last hurrah - UFC 219 - who better to help rake in the pay-per-view scratch and end 2017 with a bang or three than Diaz?
The Stockton scrapper has gotten comfy since earning a career-best $2 million for his rematch with McGregor at UFC 202 and likely won't pocket that kind of scratch again in anything other than a trilogy bout. Should the pair meet for McGregor's lightweight strap on the December bill, not only would both of them close the book on their record-setting rivalry with the highest of stakes, they and the brass would be cashing life-changing checks.
The demand is there. Book it.
Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee winner
In a just world, McGregor would be facing the winner of an October interim title bout between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee in his next fight. But the combat sports world is a fickle one.As first-rate a clash as Ferguson's date with Lee may be, the fact remains neither of them can put nearly as many butts in the seats as Diaz, which relegates them to the long-awaited rubber match's second fiddle. To their credit, both lightweight contenders have gotten to flapping their gums of late, albeit with little in the way of a reaction from "The Notorious." Simply put, McGregor has bigger fish to fry at the moment.
With the trilogy bout opposite Diaz simply too lucrative for all parties to pass up, the winner of Ferguson vs. Lee will have to settle for seconds and get cozy in the endless queue.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
What to do with "The Eagle" that has nowhere to land?UFC 216's interim title bout should leave the lightweight division with an undisputed challenger-in-waiting to McGregor's throne, although the rankings have already anointed Nurmagomedov that man. Rumored to have turned down the spot that ultimately went to Lee in what would have marked the fourth booking between he and Ferguson - three of them ill-fated - the Russian now eyes a direct shot at McGregor at UFC 219 while brooding in limbo.
As nerve wracking as his promotional stint has been, Nurmagomedov's unblemished record speaks for itself, and if the brass intends to tap the Russian market as president Dana White has intimated, they'd be foolish to book anything other than the top-ranked contender's dream matchup as the maiden voyage's headliner.
Max Holloway
He may no longer wear the featherweight crown, but McGregor remains the UFC's self-proclaimed "champ champ."Max Holloway might have something to say about that.
A winner of 11 straight, "Blessed" now owns the title McGregor was stripped of last December. And while he appears more concerned with cleaning house at 145 pounds than partaking in superfights at the moment, even he would at least entertain the lucrative opportunity to avenge his last loss - a unanimous decision he lost to McGregor four years ago - should the lightweight king look to reclaim what was once his.
Rafael dos Anjos
McGregor hadn't yet removed his boxing gloves when dos Anjos pointedly reminded him he has a loose end to tie up.The Dubliner wouldn't have faced Diaz at UFC 196 if dos Anjos - then lightweight champion - hadn't broken his foot during training just days prior. Cut to 17 months later, McGregor is keeping his own counsel and cashing checks while the beltless Brazilian attempts to reinvent himself at welterweight.
Given dos Anjos' less than cushy place in the pecking order and the pair of grueling weight cuts he endured in his last two fights at 155 pounds, there's little other than general principle to justify taking another stab at the ill-fated matchup.
Paulie Malignaggi
Malignaggi got to gloat over the defeat McGregor suffered at Mayweather's hands on Saturday, and he's still not satisfied.The retired boxer has been campaigning for a grudge match with the Irishman since he unceremoniously left his training camp over the release of unflattering photos taken during a sparring session prior to "The Money Fight," its resolution doing little to tame his desire.
Had McGregor once again made the impossible possible and handed Mayweather his first L, he may very well have been hammering out a deal to meet Malignaggi as of this writing. Instead, the Irishman acquitted himself well, but not well enough to warrant another walk to the ring - even against a good, albeit far from great pugilist in the Brooklyn native - leaving Malignaggi no choice but to fade back into obscurity and learn to enjoy life away from the squared circle.
Get over it, Paulie. Go hit a pillow.
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