Conor McGregor is likely to revert to his normal weight class and make his first title defense soon, but the question is, who will be his next opponent?

McGregor is licking his wounds from that Nate Diaz defeat and plans to get back up and defend his UFC featherweight title, which will likely be at UFC 200. But the real issue on those plans is who will the UFC pit against “The Notorious”? When that question pops up, only two names come to mind -- Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar. But are the UFC’s choices limited to the two featherweight fighters?

Max Holloway Makes a Case

While there are a lot of potential opponents for McGregor for his first title defense, there is someone who is begging to ask why he is not among the potential candidates.

Max Holloway, the 24-year-old Hawaiian mixed martial artist who currently owns an eight-fight winning streak, has been wondering why he has not been mentioned. This was despite the fact that he was the only fighter in the featherweight division who pushed McGregor to the limit via a decision. Apparently, Holloway was referring to their clash in 2013 for UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen.

McGregor wasn’t a big name during that time. Holloway recounted how McGregor fell at that time, which was tied up with the untimely tore of his ACL. McGregor resorted to a change in tactic, switching to a "take-down approach" and eventually winning the match one via a unanimous decision.

Aldo Blew it, Edgar Predictable

Holloway is aware that Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar are way ahead of him as far as being considered as McGregor’s opponent, but he tries to air his views on both fighters.

For Aldo, he believed that losing in record time (13 seconds) plus the fact that he passed on possibly facing the Irishman at UFC 196 should be more than enough reason to move on to the next competitor. It did take some time for Aldo to realize he wanted a rematch, realizing he should get first crack being the former champion.

In Edgar's case, Holloway said that it would not be any different from what Chad Mendes tried to pull at UFC 189. Edgar will try to ground McGregor, which seems to be the only way any adversary can negate the vaunted strikes and offensives of "The Notorious."

The Issue of Facing Big Name Fighters

One argument that many are likely to put up is the fact that Holloway hasn’t faced big name fighters. Such could be the reason why his accomplishments have been overlooked, but the 24-year-old explains that he relies heavily on what the UFC gives him.

"When people say I haven't fought any top five guys, it pisses me off because I fight whoever the UFC puts in front of me. They didn't give me top five guys but I've been begging," Holloway said. "Please give me a top five guy. I'm just dumbfounded that my name isn't in there in the mix."

Holloway does seem to have a valid point. He may get a title shot at some point but, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon. Better yet, it may happen after McGregor faces either Aldo or Edgar, meaning he will have to wait for his turn.

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