Exploring McGregor's options after brutal loss

Despite losing to Dustin Poirier in devastating fashion Saturday, Conor McGregor is still the UFC's biggest superstar - and that won't change anytime soon.

He might not be in the lightweight title picture at the moment, but McGregor is still in the driver's seat. He still calls the shots. And, as you may expect, his options are plentiful for the rest of 2021.

Here's what could be on deck for the former two-division champion after falling to 1-2 in his past three fights.

Trilogy fight vs. Nate Diaz

Another fight with Diaz makes the most sense for McGregor's next move.

There's no obvious opponent for McGregor among the top 155-pound contenders because, well, he isn't in title contention. And it would be silly to offer him a step down in competition against someone like Paul Felder or Al Iaquinta.

That's where Diaz comes in. The trilogy fight has been on the back burner ever since they met for the second time in August 2016. It has no divisional relevance but would still be a massive pay-per-view draw.

With McGregor not in line to fight for the 155-pound belt and in need of a victory, now is the perfect time to run it back with his old pal.

Bout vs. Tony Ferguson

If McGregor hopes to quickly work his way back up to a title shot, a fight with Ferguson is the way to go.

McGregor and Ferguson were once considered the two best lightweights on the planet. They were supposed to fight each other after Ferguson won the interim title in 2017, but the UFC stripped McGregor of the undisputed belt due to inactivity the following year, and the matchup never materialized.

Ferguson, one of the best lightweights ever, appears to be on a downward trajectory after suffering back-to-back losses versus Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira. A fight with McGregor would give "El Cucuy" one last shot at relevance in the division, while a win for McGregor would give his stock a much-needed boost.

Move to welterweight vs. Jorge Masvidal

McGregor is 1-2 as a UFC lightweight, so it wouldn't be the worst idea to try his hand again at welterweight.

The best opponent for McGregor at 170 pounds is Masvidal, who became one of the UFC's most popular fighters after scoring three straight wins in 2019. Fans wanted to see Masvidal-McGregor last year after the latter's successful return against Donald Cerrone, but Masvidal went on to challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title instead.

The fight would be a pay-per-view success. Either McGregor reinvents himself as a welterweight contender or Masvidal adds a huge name to his resume.

Boxing match vs. Manny Pacquiao

UFC president Dana White didn't want McGregor to re-enter the world of boxing in 2021. He wanted McGregor to focus on his MMA career and then maybe pursue a boxing match opposite Pacquiao in 2022.

But that was before Poirier tossed McGregor out of title contention for the foreseeable future with a vicious second-round TKO.

White was holding out hope that Khabib Nurmagomedov would return to face McGregor, but now that rematch is most certainly off the table. Pacquiao will always be a lucrative option for the Irishman. But with McGregor's 2021 off to a rough start, the crossover bout might also make sense for White and Co., who would stand to make a solid amount of cash from it.

This will ultimately come down to whether Pacquiao still wants McGregor. The boxing legend could decide to pass now that the McGregor has fallen short versus Poirier and could be on a decline. It would still be a megafight, but Pacquiao might not see the same luster he did before.

Celebrity fight vs. Jake Paul

We know what you're thinking. And we get it.

But this is a bigger possibility than many realize. After all, Floyd Mayweather is scheduled to meet Logan Paul in an exhibition bout later in 2021. If that's happening, who's to say McGregor versus Jake Paul can't?

McGregor loves money, and this would be a quick and easy payday for him, regardless of whether he faces Paul in a legitimate boxing match or an exhibition.

Of course, McGregor would've preferred to beat Poirier and earn a shot at the lightweight title. But that didn't happen, and now that he's coming off a brutal defeat, it's possible Paul will find a way to convince him to step into the ring.

The fight would get McGregor back in the headlines, and securing any kind of a "win" could help with his public image before he eventually makes his return against a top MMA fighter.