Conor McGregor was a spectator just like the rest of us during UFC 249.Despite most of the world's live sport being put on ice during the coronavirus pandemic, Dana White's MMA franchise emerged from the void with a stacked card in Jacksonville, Florida.And the main event was of particular interest to McGregor with Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje slugging it out in the very division that 'Notorious' was crowned champion of in late 2016.The bout had initially signalled Ferguson's long-awaited shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the ongoing COVID-19 situation meant that his adversary was unable to leave Russia.So, an all-American interim bout it was and Ferguson might be waiting even longer for a fight with 'The Eagle' after being stopped in the fifth round by Gaethje for his first defeat in eight years.
McGregor watches on
McGregor was unsurprisingly watching on with interest, having already signalled before his clash with Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in January that he intended to return to 155kg.
The Irishman fought at that very weight when he scored a historic victory over Eddie Alvarez, but also tasted defeat when he made a return to the sport in 2018 against Nurmagomedov.
However, it seems as though McGregor is hungrier than ever to take on his lightweight rivals, launching a fascinating rant on Twitter taking aim at essentially all of his competitors.
McGregor's Twitter rant
First of all, he claimed that a fight with Gaethje is next on the cards, denouncing suggestions that he'll get his shot at Nurmagomedov because the Russian is the 'biggest bottle' in the sport.
He then criticised Ferguson's preparation for UFC 249 and floated the idea that he'll take on Dustin Poirier next in a fight that, in McGregor's opinion, 'El Cucuy' will lose.
McGregor then returned his attention to Gaethje by claiming he would wear the interim champion's teeth as a 'f***ing necklace' and declaring that he's 'f***ing dead'. How charming.
Then, of course, Nurmagomedov was the last fighter on the list, receiving some of McGregor's most cutting comments in being branded a 'scurrying rat' and 'an embarrassment to real fighting'.
Finally, there was a message that could be of particular interest to Jorge Masvidal...
Plenty of options for McGregor
It's always good to hear McGregor sounding motivated to fight, even if he probably could have phrased his call-outs in a more PG manner.
There's no doubt that McGregor vs Gaethje would be an absolute tear up, it just remains to be seen if there's going to be a world where he can travel to America before Nurmagomedov can.
However the cookie crumbles, though, let McGregor's Twitter rampage serve as proof that the lightweight division is on fire right now.
