3. Conor McGregor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obgm6JNtyVo Conor McGregor has been lighting up the MMA underground ever since his win over Ivan Buchinger (above) and this led to campaign after campaign for McGregor to be signed up by the UFC. Fans got their wish and the Irishman has since debuted for the American promotion, knocking out a tough fighter in Marcus Brimage (who was 2-0 in the UFC at the time, beating tough opposition himself). McGregor confirmed the hype with his dominant victory over Brimage and the unorthodoxy of his striking means he leaves his opponent guessing most of the time. There are several factors that make McGregor a prospect, not just his evident striking skills. For one, he is marketable for a potential trip back to Ireland and could headline an event should the UFC expand back into his native country. Secondly, he is known to have the gift of the gab and talks himself into fights a lá Chael Sonnen, though unlike Chael he doesn't do it on such an extreme level that fans are expecting him to get beat convincingly. Another reason is that McGregor can fight at both Lightweight and Featherweight, showing his versatility. He held both the 155 and 145lb belts for Cage Warriors and he has stated since debuting in the UFC that he would take a fight no matter what the weight class is. It is like that Notorious will get fast-tracked to a title shot if he stays at 145, and just a couple more victories over named opponents could put him in line for a shot at the belt. If he goes to 155, the road to the title may be a bit trickier - the division is renowned for its stacked nature; the likes of Thomson, Grant, Melendez et al have more impressive resumés to the Irishman. It may take 4 or 5 wins in a row to get a title shot should McGregor go up in weight class. As for preferred next fights for Notorious, several options stand out at 155 whereas at 145 it is very limited. Should McGregor stay at Featherweight, a fight with Maximo Blanco may work considering the fact Conor is set to appear at the Boston event. Darren Elkins or Rani Yahya are viable options, but the Blanco fight would be a true barn-burner. At 155, there are several available options for the Boston date - Tibau, Gomi and Ricci to name just a few. Anyhow, I'd prefer to see McGregor face Ryan Couture should he favour a Lightweight matchup. This provides him with a named fighter to add to his resumé who does not possess the skillset that the upper echelon do. Preferred next fight: Maximo Blanco (145) or Ryan Couture (155)