Conor McGregor Would Fight UFC 229 Replacement, UFC 229 Fighter Removed, Rory MacDonald On Loss

By Dana Becker

- If something happens to Khabib Nurmagomedov and the reigning UFC lightweight champion is forced out of Saturday's UFC 229 main event with Conor McGregor, "Notorious" is ready to take on someone else that night in Las Vegas.

During an interview posted on his website, The Mac Life, McGregor explained that he just wants to compete again inside the Octagon. Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and ex-interim titleholder Tony Ferguson are the planned co-main event, and either would make fine opponents for McGregor.

"I know Pettis and Ferguson is in the co-main. Originally, about a month or two ago when that fight got announced for the co-main, I was like, 'Man, if Khabib bottles this fight, like he has bottled many fights before, if he bottles this one I don't think, you know, (expletive) those other two,'" McGregor said. "No disrespect to those other two. I think I probably would have just disappeared back into the shadows and got that man (Nurmagomedov) somewhere else outside of here.

"Now that I'm here, I'm back and I'm close, if (Nurmagomedv) didn't show up, I think I would take a fight against either of those."

Nurmagomedov has been forced out of several fights over the years due to a number of reasons. McGregor hasn't fought for the UFC since his 2016 performance that resulted in the then-featherweight champion adding the lightweight title.

- Saturday's UFC 229 fight card has lost a bout, as the planned FOX Sports 1 prelim main event is without one-half of the fight. Sean O'Malley posted on social media this weekend that he has been forced out due to a potential violation of the USADA drug-testing program. O'Malley was to meet Jose Quinonez.

"I want to be the first to let you know about what's going on," he wrote. "As many of you may have seen, the UFC announced this weekend they are no longer announcing potential violations of the USADA program, because of the high number of unintentional use cases under the program, and are instead waiting until the end. I find myself caught up in one of these exact cases right now.

"Even though under the new policy, my case would not be public right now, I feel it's important to be upfront and honest with my fans."

O'Malley, who is 1-0 and coming off a decision win over Andre Soukhamthath at UFC 222 earlier this year, added that he is sending in "remaining samples from the bottle I took to the USADA lab as well as a full-sized bottle" in hoping a contamination is found.

- Rory MacDonald failed in his bid to add the Bellator middleweight title to his welterweight crown this past Saturday night, as Gegard Mousasi earned a stoppage win over him from San Jose. MacDonald, a former UFC contender, admitted that he "froze in the cage" during the contest, which led to the loss.

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