McGregor Needs To ‘Leave The Drugs Alone And Focus’

Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has some advice for McGregor if the Irish sports star wants to fight for the title off a win at UFC 303.

If Conor McGregor beats Michael Chandler at UFC 303, he could jump the line and fight Islam Makhachev next for the lightweight title.

There are few fighters on the UFC roster who can earn a 155 pound title shot off a win at 170, but McGregor is one of them. According to Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, Islam is willing to give “The Notorious” a chance to regain his old belt.

“Conor might go there and knock out Chandler in the first round,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “And after that, he’s one of the biggest stars in the sport. Like him or hate him, he is. And if he tells the UFC, ‘Hey, I want a title shot, Islam want a title shot.’ That can be the next title shot. Islam’s not gonna say no to this fight. It’s a big fight, it’s a big name, it’s a lot more money.”

“The guy’s a massive star,” he continued. “I think he’s a piece of s—, but he is a massive star. You can’t take this away from him. With the history with Khabib, and with him and with Islam, it will be all over again. It’ll be all over again and it’ll be one of the biggest fights you can make today.”

“One thing I know about Dana White, he likes money and he likes business. That’s why the UFC is so big right now. You have Dana, you have Hunter [Campbell], you have Sean [Shelby], you have Mick [Maynard]. They are great minds, and they put on the biggest fights that can sell the most pay per views. Why not? Absolutely. Listen, it’s very possible.”

The biggest obstacle to this fight, in Ali’s mind? Conor McGregor himself.

“But, you know, Conor has to get off the bottle and he has to leave the drugs alone and focus,” he said. “And yeah, he’s definitely… the guy was a two-division champion, and he has talent. But is the hard work now there or not there anymore? You have to ask him this question.”

McGregor will get a chance to show what he’s still got in the tank at UFC 303 on June 29th.