If there's one sports star whose name is on everyone's lips, it's Conor McGregor. The Irishman has taken part in some highly publicised fights in recent history - most recently against the boxing icon Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. Though Mayweather maintained his undefeated streak, McGregor was widely reported to have performed much better than expected, considering his background is as a mixed martial arts fighter and not as a professional boxer. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, McGregor is an amateur boxer who went toe to toe with one of the greatest boxing talents the sport has ever seen and lasted 10 out of the scheduled 12 rounds before Mayweather was declared the winner. In addition to putting up an impressive fight, McGregor is also believed to have walked away with a hefty pay check for his efforts. His disclosed remuneration stands at around $30,000,000 but it is believed his total earnings from the bout could be up to as much as $100,000,000. That's not a bad consolation prize for losing anything, is it? With this great fight behind him, McGregor appears to have set his sights on his next opponent. This time, it's an old rivalry that is being resurrected for a match many MMA fans are itching to see. McGregor himself has a knack for attracting media attention when he is involved in fights. Other than his recent face-off against Mayweather, his UFC encounters have consistently broken pay-per-view records. In particular, two of McGregor's fights against one particular UFC star hold the records as the two highest performing fights in UFC history, in terms of pay-per-view success. UFC fighter Nate Diaz is currently ranked 4th in the lightweight division according to rankingmma.com. A fight between him and the current champion McGregor might seem like an easy match for the latter until you consider the fight record between these two. McGregor and Diaz have met twice, and each has beaten the other once. Therefore, a fresh match between the two is an opportunity to tip the scales and possibly confirm which fighter will come out on top in this heated rivalry. Diaz won their first match with a forced submission, while based on points, McGregor bested him during a rematch. Diaz has not returned to the Octagon since, and some say this hiatus is because he is holding out for yet another chance to face his Irish rival. Preliminary reports suggest that such a match will be happening very soon. In fact, it is expected to occur before the end of the year in Las Vegas, Nevada. This "grudge match" between Diaz and McGregor is believed to be scheduled to take place on Sunday 30 December and it is thought that quite a few members of McGregor's family and entourage have purchased tickets to Vegas in order to watch the fight. According to reports, "Conor has told them that only the 'Is' have to be dotted and the 'Ts' crossed for this to go ahead," based on comments from an inside source. If this is confirmed, Diaz or McGregor will be set to welcome the new year with not just resolutions but with exceptional bragging rights. Fans await further details with bated breath.

In the end, The Money Fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was exactly what most anticipated it would be. Though McGregor performed better in the ring than many believed possible, the outcome was inevitable from the moment the fight was announced; Floyd Mayweather Jr. would win, because, simply, that's what he does. Perhaps that is why the notion of the fight was treated with such derision by boxing experts; some of the more skilled boxers of this generation had struggled to lay a glove on Mayweather, so what chance was a MMA fighter supposed to have? It has been a year of upsets and surprises, though, and possibly that is what made the fight so seductive to viewers; the chance, however slim, that they might witness the incredible and improbable. While the fight was an interesting - albeit rather expensive - experiment, most Conor McGregor fans will be hoping that the Irishman will now return to the more familiar confines of the UFC, where a tantalising array of fighters await him. As his manager Audie Attar explains; “You’ve got Khabib [Nurmagomedov] calling him out, then you obviously have Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee who are fighting for the interim lightweight title. "You have Max Holloway, who is the 145 champ now, who Conor beat after blowing out his ACL at the beginning of the fight. "You have options, and he loves mixed martial arts." It appears, though, that McGregor has already identified who he would like to fight next, as the Irishman appears set on completing a trilogy of fights against Nate Diaz, with whom he has already engaged in two epic contests. The first was won by Diaz at UFC 196 by submission, before McGregor avenged the defeat at UFC 202 by decision. Clearly, the pair have unfinished business, and McGregor has been quoted as saying; "I faced him at 170lbs, he beat me," McGregor said. "I rematched him at 170lbs, I beat him. Now I'm the 155lbs champion, now if he wants that fight, he must come down - that's a fair trade. "I didn't ask for the rematch at a lower weight. I asked for it at the exact same weight. I thought that was a fair play move on my behalf and I came in and I won. "So now I won the 155lb title after that, so if he wants the fight he has to make the 155lb limit." Audie Attar also told MMA Junkie that McGregor "wants that trilogy", before continuing; "Everyone is like, 'Oh he's going to retire - he made so much money.' He's ambitious. He's super ambitious, and he loved to fight. He loves to compete and he's a superb professional athlete. So, there's much more Conor McGregor that everybody will see, and we'll see what's next." One thing seems certain, whatever McGregor's next move, the whole world will be watching. The Irishman has thrust himself right to the top of the list of most bankable stars in the world of fighting and beyond - in that sense, he was as much a winner in The Money Fight as Mayweather himself.

Conor McGregor might be in the news for all the wrong reasons right now, but it's easy to forget just how dominant a force he was in the UFC's featherweight and lightweight divisions as he surged to become the first ever fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously.

And then there's the small matter of the Irishman's brutal fights against welterweight Nate Diaz, which have already become the stuff of legend in the fight game. Arguably two of the greatest fights the UFC has ever seen, Diaz won the first by way of submission, before their epic second bout - described by Joe Rogan as a "dog fight" - was taken by McGregor via majority decision.

Since then, Diaz had remained largely inactive, before he made his comeback at UFC 241 on Sunday to defeat Anthony Pettis in a unanimous decision. McGregor, meanwhile, fought Floyd Mayweather in his professional boxing debut, before returning to the octagon to face the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. He lost that fight by way of submission in the fourth round, before a now infamous scuffle unfolded, during which members of Khabib's team appeared to blindside McGregor inside the octagon.

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It's widely assumed that there are really only two fights that interest Conor in the UFC right now; a rematch with Khabib, or a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz, to settle their epic rivalry once and for all.

Either fight would likely break UFC pay-per-view records; it's fair to say that any bout involving Conor McGregor is an easy sell for the UFC, so large is the Irishman's fanbase. Yet, for many, Nate Diaz and the Notorious have always brought the best out of each other. It's an interesting matchup in styles, and with Diaz being the naturally larger guy, it's harder for Conor to score the iconic overhand or straight left knockout blow that made him a household name.

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Now, following Diaz's impressive comeback victory over Pettis, Conor has taken to Instagram to congratulate his adversary on the win, calling him an "inspiration" for the Irish fighter's own return to the UFC;

"3 years to the day myself and this Mexican warrior went to war.
Congrats on the win this weekend Nate, it was motivating to see it for my own comeback. I don’t blame you not mentioning me for the trilogy bout post fight, you know what I’m like when I get going. Vicious.
I loved the round 3 style from round 1 that you implemented. It’s what I was hoping you would implement for this bout and was glad to see you do it.
I’ll be prepared for it when we go again. If we go again.
If not, respect always. A war for the ages. No b*tch talk. Just real sh*t."

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What do you think? Are Conor and Nate about to run it back and settle the trilogy once and for all?

After every massive build-up comes the climax, and a slow tapering off. Now that Conor McGregor has fought Floyd Mayweather (and inevitably lost), and the hype train has come to a stop, what's next for the 29-year-old UFC featherweight champion? He is still signed to the UFC under Dana White, but is free to make corporate sponsorships outside of the UFC, as he has done with McGregor Sports and Entertainment, his flagship company soon to launch with its own brand of Irish whisky. Here are the three things that Conor McGregor can do now that the Mayweather bout is done with, and the future is wide open: He could retire. Of course, this is the least likely option. From McGregor's own mouth:

“I’ll see what’s next. I’m open. I love competing. I love a good fight. I can’t tell you exactly what’s next. But something will be next.”

McGregor's status as the reigning UFC featherweight champ will require a defense soon. If he doesn't return to the Octagon, he'll forfeit his title, which he is extremely unlikely to do. Being 11 years younger than Floyd Mayweather, he has to fight. At least, it seems that whisky and sponsorships aren't enough to motivate him. He needs to do what he does best. But the question is with who, and when.

Who could match up to the excitement and media presence surrounding McGregor vs. Mayweather? It seems, given McGregor's record in the UFC, there's only one fight that could satiate the fans.

He has to fight Nate Diaz. The Diaz vs. McGregor fights have gone down in the UFC hall of fame. Diaz won the first fight, bringing McGregor to the ground and putting him in a chokehold that he couldn't break free from, ending the altercation. Diaz's victory was challenged in UFC 202, when McGregor took the win, settling their record with a 1-1 ratio. Clearly, this tie must be broken. The better fighter must win. The Diaz/McGregor fight must become a trilogy, a true tiebreaker. Diaz and McGregor are both extremely competent fighters, and either one of them could beat the other. With all the hype garnered by McGregor's recent moves, his next fight has to hit close to home. This is the way to do it. And yet, what if MMA isn't in his future at all? What if he wants to keep boxing? Dana White was asked how he feels about McGregor boxing, and his answer was simple: “I would rather he did not. This isn’t what he does. He’s a mixed martial artist where he goes in and he fights and he uses all of his weapons and tonight he was only allowed to use his hands. I think he did great tonight. I don’t think there’s anything left to prove. I would rather he fight mixed martial arts.” A boxing bout with his former trainer, Paulie Malignaggi, who quit angrily after allegedly deceptive footage of McGregor destroying him at boxing was released in the run-up to the Mayweather fight, could potentially earn more than any MMA fight. But boxing fatigue could set in quickly for McGregor and his fans. People want to see him use his legs, and those hammerfists. Whatever McGregor does next, whether he takes a break, fights in MMA, or chooses to box again, he'll continue his brand with relative ease. He has over a decade to catch up to where Floyd Mayweather is at - retired, content, with absolutely nothing left to prove.

If Conor McGregor has an amazing talent beyond his ability to fight in the octagon, it's setting up those fights in the first place. Not only does he throw himself fully into the trash talk in the lead-up to a UFC fight, but he is often teasing rematches or feuds to be settled far down the line, ensuring that his place on the UFC hall of fame is cemented for at least a few more years.

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One of the most iconic running stories within the Irish MMA fighter's career has been his fights against Nate Diaz. The pair first fought at UFC 196 in March 2016, where McGregor submitted after being choked out.

Then, in August 2016, Diaz agreed to a rematch. They faced off at UFC 202, where this time it was McGregor who took the victory, in a five-round major decision.

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Now, it looks like a rematch is on the table - as long as Diaz is interested in returning to the octagon with McGregor to settle the trilogy of fights.

Speaking to a group of fans at Binny's Beverage Depot in Chicago, McGregor explained how their next match needs to happen to sort out the rivalry for good. TMZ caught part of his speech to fans in which he declared that "the trilogy will happen".

"He fought me, he beat me. He gave me a rematch at the exact same weight, there was no hesitation, that's a true fighter right there," McGregor said. "I have nothing but respect ... I owe him the trilogy now and the trilogy will happen."

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There's been talk of a conclusion to the trilogy of fights for years, but McGregor's attentions have been elsewhere. In 2017, he switched up sports to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the boxing ring, and following that huge pay day, there's been talk of a rematch between them, with Mayweather flirting with the idea of stepping into McGregor's native sport.

Beyond this, there's still been talk of a rematch between McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, to whom the Irishman lost at UFC 229. In fact, that match had some serious consequences for them both beyond the stats at the end of their battle.

After the fight ended, chaos broke out as three of Khabib's team entered the octagon to attack McGregor, while his Russian opponent leapt into the crowd - supposedly in response to some trash talk that had gone too far.

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Since then, both Khabib and McGregor have received temporary bans from the sport. They both accepted the six month suspensions, though it didn't take long before McGregor was back to talking about what happened that night, and praised his own technique when he was attacked.

If Diaz is looking to complete the trilogy, this is very likely to happen - after all, the UFC will be more than happy to host such a lucrative fight. Their first fight is the 3rd most-viewed pay-per-view fight in the organisation's history, and the second came in at number two.