Stephen A. Smith doesn't want to see Conor McGregor fight UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
His coach, Javier Mendez, said he would like to see McGregor one day fight Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) after McGregor revealed he had struggled with a staph infection during training camp for UFC 302. Makhachev defended his title last Saturday by submission over Dustin Poirier in a tough main event.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is scheduled to return to action against Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29, with many believing a win would earn him a title shot.
“Conor started yelling and stirring up drama with Islam,” Mendes told Red Corner MMA. “That's a good thing because Conor is the type of guy you want to root for. Either way, people want to see him. I want to see him lose to Islam.”
“So, to me, what he's doing is getting a lot of attention. So nothing could be better for me and Khabib (Nurmagomedov) than for Islam to fight him. He mentioned the staph, but honestly, that's just poor observation on his part. It's just that he found out too late. By the time he mentioned it, three weeks had passed.”
But after watching Khabib Nurmagomedov dominate McGregor and submit him in their 2018 title fight, Smith believes McGregor wants nothing to do with Makhachev.
“I was in Las Vegas to watch Conor McGregor fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov,” Smith told ESPN's “First Take” (presented by Championship Rounds). “It was the greatest event I've ever seen in my life. It was unbelievable.”
“But what I learned from this fight is that Conor McGregor does not deserve to be in the Octagon against a grappler like Makhachev. These brothers are special and they have no intention of landing a punch on Conor McGregor.”
For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 302 event hub.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie.
