The rollercoaster of hype for the potential dream fight had another flummoxing moment when Fury barely beat Francis Ngannou on points but AJ managed to get the KO on the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. It all felt like we were finally going to get the Battle of the Brits…until Fury lost pretty convincingly twice to Usyk himself.

In terms of how big this fight could’ve been at one point, the eventual showdown will probably have around half of the hype (at best), but considering where both men are in their careers right now? Taking this one big last payday would make all of the sense in the world.

Two Great Heavyweights Near Retirement

After losing to Daniel Dubois in what was considered to be a “comeback,” Joshua sits in a strange position where the only name that would make sense for him to get back in the ring with is someone like Fury. Fury himself will probably be pushing for a third fight against Usyk due to what he deems to be a controversial decision, and if he does get that fight and somehow wins then the hype for Fury vs Joshua for all of the gold COULD get the hype growing again.

If we don’t see Fury vs Joshua in 2025, then I won’t be entirely shocked. If Fury is somehow able to get the third shot at Usyk (which is very likely considering how much Saudi Arabia will pay for the event again), then Joshua will either take a fight against a fairly big name who he will be expected to beat before he finally gets a crack at Fury, belts on the line or not.

Personally, I don’t see the fight happening in 2025, but 2026 may well be the year that we finally see the biggest British Heavyweight showdown in decades.

READ MORE: UFC 311 Full Fight Card: Stacked Card Set To Kick Off 2025 In Style

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The post Fury vs Joshua: Why the fight won’t happen in 2025 first appeared on Sidekick Boxing.

Speaking on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the BJJ practitioner discussed the years of damage that McGregor has taken, both in and out of the octagon as his partying and hard-hitting sparring are clearly taking a toll.

“A lot of fighters have sustained significant damage over the course of their careers, and there’s no way to avoid it,. We’ve all seen Conor get beat up and knocked out. We’ve seen his sparring footage with elite fighters. You’re getting hit in the head. A lot. And for many fighters, especially toward the end of their careers, drugs become an outlet.”

via MMANews

Rogan appears to think that this may well be the end of the elite-level fighting career of McGregor, but there are still options out there for Notorious if he wants to make a massive amount of money fighting.

Conor McGregor’s Next Fight

McGregor was recently found liable for assault in a civil case that was taken by Nikita Hand. The judge ordered the Irish fighter to pay Ms Hand almost €250,000 (£207,000) in damages, and the damage to his brand has been massive.

While we don’t know exactly when Notorious will be getting back into the octagon, there is no doubt that getting back into training for a combat sports return would help him from a monetary standpoint. McGregor was last expected to face Michael Chandler, with both fighters taking coaches roles on The Ultimate Fighter with a view to getting them across the cage from each other at some point. This did not materialise, and with Chandler having lost to Charles Oliveira back at UFC 309, the want for that fight isn’t really there right now.

Dana White and co will undoubtedly want McGregor to return at some point, as the Irish megastar is still one of the biggest draws in recent combat sports history. The question is whether or not they can get the right opponent for a fighter who has not looked dominant since early 2020 when he beat Donald Cerrone. A big issue for the former Double-Champ is that he has not fought competitively since 2021, so those three years of ring rust could come back to haunt him when he does/if he does decide to return to the octagon.

READ MORE: Sidekick ranks: best Conor McGregor knockouts

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The post Joe Rogan Addresses Conor McGregor and Future UFC Appearances first appeared on Sidekick Boxing.