Skip to content

Lynch's Mailbag: Should McGregor fight Gaethje next?

Chris Unger / UFC / Getty

Welcome to Lynch's Mailbag, a weekly feature by senior MMA news editor James Lynch.

Send James a DM @LynchOnSports or an email at james.lynch@thescore.com to submit questions for next week's article. The following questions have been edited for clarity and grammar.

Should Conor McGregor wait for the winner of the Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson title fight (in April at UFC 249) or face Justin Gaethje next? - Peter Johannes

There is very little upside to McGregor fighting Gaethje.

Sure, it would be an interesting matchup of strikers. Gaethje owns just one submission victory in 24 fights and has won 18 times by knockout, so a bout with McGregor could contend for "Fight of the Year" honors.

However, outside of hardcore fight fans, Gaethje isn't a big name and I wouldn't consider this a "money fight." That means McGregor has too much to lose. For the sake of this question, I'd side with him waiting for a title fight. But really, I think the best option for McGregor is a bout with Jorge Masvidal - something we mentioned this week on theScorecards.

In Cris Cyborg's win last weekend, can we all agree she looked better than she has in a while? Will she finish her career in Bellator or the UFC? - UFC featherweight Jacob Kilburn

First off, Jacob, it's great to hear from you and I'm looking forward to your next fight. Second, I was very impressed with Cyborg's performance at Bellator 238, where she imitated a character from Mortal Kombat with her fourth-round finish of Julia Budd. However, I don't necessarily think Cyborg looked better than usual. She always performs well, and even her 2018 loss to Amanda Nunes wasn't a good indication of her skill set because that stoppage happened in the first round.

Regarding your second question, I don't think there's any chance Cyborg ever returns to the UFC given how things ended. You'll see her retire with Bellator MMA.

Is Colby Covington a top-five draw in MMA based on his viewership on UFC Embedded? - @_king_k

I know many discredit Covington's ability to draw viewers (especially when referencing numbers for the Robbie Lawler fight) but I disagree with those critics.

There's a reason Covington headlined UFC 245 over notable champions like Amanda Nunes and Max Holloway - there was clearly interest. Some fans want to see him lose badly, while others enjoy his controversial personality. Not since Chael Sonnen has there been a more polarizing figure in the UFC.

But after Covington lost his last fight, is there still interest? I think there is. The greatest test of a fighter is how they bounce back from a defeat. Viewers will tune in to see how Covington responds, just as fans were curious to see Ben Askren follow up his embarrassing loss to Jorge Masvidal last July.

What will happen to the winner of Paul Felder versus Dan Hooker (the UFC Auckland headliner next month)? I can't imagine they will fight a lower-ranked opponent. - Henry Alex Brizuela

This is a pivotal matchup in the lightweight division between No. 6 Felder and No. 7 Hooker. I agree that the winner won't fight someone ranked below them.

I see three potential options at the moment: If No. 4 Justin Gaethje doesn't get the next lightweight title shot, he could be an option. The same goes for No. 2 Dustin Poirier if he doesn't have an opponent. As a wild card, Kevin Lee could make sense if he gets past Charles Oliveira at UFC Brazil in March.

Any word on Stipe Miocic's next opponent if it's not Daniel Cormier? Is Max Holloway getting his rematch with Alexander Volkanovski? What's going on with men's flyweight? - @TommyGunn1017

Miocic is still recovering from an eye injury, and if he doesn't come back by this summer, it sounds like Cormier may retire. Other options for Miocic would be the winner of Francis Ngannou versus Jairzinho Rozenstruik (who will meet in March), Curtis Blaydes, and perhaps even Jon Jones, who's expressed interest in a matchup in the past.

It doesn't sound like Holloway will be rematching Volkanovski next. The UFC featherweight champion told me earlier this month he believes Holloway is heading to lightweight.

The flyweight division is moving along just fine. The vacant title will be up for grabs next month when Joseph Benavidez faces Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Norfolk.

What do you think about Ed Ruth versus Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 239? - @caesar_wrap

I love the matchup, but I can't help feeling that Bellator is knocking off a prospect here in the process. It's similar to when Patrick Mix faced Ricky Bandejas in the latter's promotional debut.

Either way, this should be a great test for both fighters as they look to inch closer to a contender's spot in the welterweight division.

What are your thoughts on Tyron Woodley saying he blew through a lot of money during his reign as UFC welterweight champion? What do you think can be done to help fighters manage their money? - Marcus Williams

It's an unfortunate reality for many athletes who come into large sums of money. And ultimately, it's not surprising.

It would be great to see the UFC offer financial planning services the same way fighters have access to the performance institute in Las Vegas and premade meals.

Woodley is mainly to blame for his own mistakes, but with some guidance, you'd hope fighters could be steered in the right direction.

Who would win a fight between Stephen A. Smith and Gus Johnson? - Carlin Bardsley

Johnson sounded pretty serious about his training years ago when he went after a journalist. So, I'll side with him.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox