Conor McGregor has been backed to beat No.1 ranked UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje, but not the division's current champion Charles Oliveira.
Oliveira and Gaethje meet this Saturday in the main event of UFC 274. McGregor had requested to jump the line and fight Oliveira for the 155-pound belt in his comeback fight, but the promotion opted to give Gaethje his deserved shot at the belt.
McGregor is planning his return fight having spent the better part of the year sidelined after breaking his tibia last July. The former two-weight champion insists he will return at 170-pounds, despite having fought just three times at the weight class before.
But McGregor has been backed to make a lightweight return if Gaethje can put an end to Oliveira's 10-fight unbeaten run, with former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy believing the Irishman can beat Gaethje.
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“I do think he has the skillset to beat Gaethje, and I think that’s a very marketable fight. Especially because they speak the same language, they can [go] back and forth. Gaethje is a funny dude," Hardy told Submission Radio.
"He’s not gonna back down but he’s gonna bring brutality to the octagon. Conor McGregor brings sharp shooting to the octagon, but he does get tired and he does get worn down. For as long as Justin Gaethje can take those shots, Conor will be getting tired.”
McGregor has bulked up to 190lbs in his layoff after being strictly limited to weight training as his broken leg continues to heal. The UFC star wants to become the promotion's first three-weight champion by dethroning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who laughed off his call-out.
Hardy thinks McGregor's future at lightweight largely depends on if Oliveira wins at UFC 274. The Brit thinks McGregor would likely get submitted by 'Do Bronx', stating: “Does McGregor want to fight Charles Oliveira? Is it a fight that’s gonna really, really sell?
"Is it worth taking that fight knowing full well that most likely he’s gonna get beaten up and submitted? I think there are lots of really interesting fights for Conor McGregor, but unless something drastic has changed in the last few months while he’s been healing his leg, I don’t think he has the skillet to beat Charles Oliveira.
“I think if Gaethje wins, you might see Conor McGregor in there,” Hardy said. “I think if Oliveira wins, I don’t think we’ll see him anywhere near that lightweight belt. Whether he wants to fight for it or not, I don’t think he’ll get it."
