Manager believes Conor McGregor is next if Anthony Pettis defeats Nate Diaz

Anthony Pettis is set to take on Nate Diaz at UFC 241. But, that isn’t stopping his manager, Abraham Kawa from thinking of what could be next for the former lightweight champ. Kawa believes if “Showtime” gets past the Stockton native, a fight against Conor McGregor should be next on the agenda.

“Even Conor fighting Khabib (Nurmagomedov), I don’t think that’s the fight,” Kawa said to MMA Junkie. “I actually don’t want to see that fight right now. Maybe after a while, yes. But right now I think Conor vs. Anthony is the fight. I’m looking at it as (if) Anthony beats Nate, and I think Conor is next on the horizon.”

However, beating Nate Diaz is harder said than done. The 34-year-old has beaten the likes of McGregor, Donald Cerrone, and Gary Maynard among others. And, given his rivalry with the Irishman and it is his first fight back, Kawa is expecting fireworks.

‘If Anthony does what he’s supposed to do, he will win’

“He has a following, he has a name, he’s one of the OG’s of the sport, and I take nothing away from Nate,” Kawa said. “To get Nate to get up in the morning and say that’s the dude I want to fight, I think we’re going to see fireworks.

“We’ve seen Anthony vs. ‘Cowboy’, and now we’ll see Anthony vs. Nate,” Kawa added. “They genuinely don’t like each other. They genuinely don’t see eye to eye, and they’re two guys that are going to come forward and throw. The better man is going to win, and I think if Anthony Pettis does what he’s supposed to do, he will win.”

If he does win, there is no question Kawa believes Conor McGregor is next, as he doesn’t know who else makes sense.

“I think next in line should be Conor,” he said. “I don’t think there should be anyone else.”

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This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/18/2019.