5 reasons why the UFC should book Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje

#2. A McGregor win would catapult him into title talks

Will a McGregor win make him deserving of a title fight after going 0-3 in the lightweight division since he first captured the 155 lbs title from Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205? Absolutely not. From a competitive merit standpoint, there are many other fighters more deserving than Conor McGregor even if he wins in his return bout.

Beneil Dariush, for example, is on a 7-fight win streak. Rafael Fiziev falls just short of that with 6 straight wins. However, there is no denying that the UFC will facilitate the bare minimum to earn McGregor a title fight. The bare minimum would be a potential win over Justin Gaethje. 'The Highlight' recently fought for the UFC lightweight title and he remains the No.3-ranked lightweight in the division.

Thus, a win over Gaethje would render a potential title fight between McGregor and the winner of Charles Oliveira-Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 far easier to market without inciting too much fan outrage. While McGregor cannot suffer too many more defeats, he remains the sport's biggest draw by a considerable margin. It stands to reason that he only needs to secure one win for the UFC to book him into a title fight to headline a future PPV.

Doing so will generate more money for the promotion than McGregor taking part in a non-title fight. So while a bout with Gaethje is risky, 'The Notorious' has a fair chance at making the UFC's dream of another McGregor title run a possibility.

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#1. The UFC can create a new rivalry

Conor McGregor can effortlessly sell over 1 million PPV buys no matter who he faces. However, just because the Irishman can comfortably rake in those numbers doesn't mean that the UFC shouldn't do anything to magnify the potential viewership for his return bout. Rivalries always work best as an attractor to fans regardless of the division. Unfortunately, McGregor is short on rivals due to the circumstances surrounding his chief foes at lightweight.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has settled into retirement and has repeatedly expressed zero interest in returning to the octagon. UFC President Dana White recently informed MMA media members that he couldn't even convince 'The Eagle' to return for a grappling match, let alone an MMA fight. The Irishman's other rival is Nate Diaz, who is scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 in the last bout on his UFC contract.

Diaz has repeatedly expressed a desire to leave the promotion in favor of pursuing a boxing match with Jake Paul, among other ventures. With Nurmagomedov gone and Diaz on the verge of leaving, McGregor only has Dustin Poirier as a rival. José Aldo, who many once hoped would be given the chance to rematch McGregor, has committed to a career at bantamweight, while Poirier himself has twice defeated 'The Notorious' already.

Thus, Conor McGregor is in need of a fresh rivalry that the UFC can build. Justin Gaethje fits the bill. Regardless of the victor in a potential bout between the two, future matchups will await, which the UFC can use to milk McGregor for all he's worth.