After the collapse of any hope that UFC 249 would go ahead, behind closed doors or otherwise, one member of Conor McGregor's team has come forward with a proposal that would give all UFC fans something to look forward to.UFC president Dana White was forced last week to retract his planned event after a widespread backlash in the media.To get around government restrictions amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, White was prepared to take his show to Native American land at the Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Fresno, California.The event planned for April 18 had 11 fights confirmed, with an interim lightweight championship bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje as the headline attraction.White said last Thursday: "We got a call from the highest level you can go at Disney and the highest level at ESPN."The powers-that-be there asked me to stand down and not do this event on Saturday".While this will be disappointing to a lot of UFC fans out there, Conor McGregor's lifelong coach John Kavanagh has taken to Twitter to suggest an alternative later in the year that would be worth waiting for.Kavanagh's suggestion would see the UFC's four top lightweights battling it out in back-to-back bouts before a spectacular title decider on New Year's Eve. 

The schedule would look something like this:

  • Semifinal 1 - Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje in August
  • Semifinal 2 - Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Tony Ferguson in August
  • Final - Winner of semifinal 1 vs. winner of semifinal 2 (c) on December 31

The match-ups suggested would see McGregor in a striking war against Justin Gaethje as he tries to seal his first significant victory since his defeat at the hands of Khabib in 2018.

The other semi between Nurmagomedov vs Furguson would also be a hotly anticipated spectacle after an incredible five cancellations of bouts between the pair.

This looks like one plan that could give us all something to look forward to during these long weeks on lock-down.