White is hoping McGregor will face Nurmagomedov

After three years without a victory, Conor McGregor needed only 40 seconds to reclaim his place at the center of the mixed martial arts world.

McGregor’s dynamic stoppage of Donald Cerrone in UFC 246 on Saturday night in Las Vegas put the Irish superstar firmly in control of the future of two UFC divisions.

Every elite lightweight and welterweight will practically beg for his shot against a fighter who still commands the world’s attention like nobody else. A refocused McGregor seems eager to make up for lost time after three years of inactivity and outside-the-cage misbehavior, suggesting he could fight three more times this year.

“The whole world lights up when I fight,” McGregor, 31, said. “So I want to get back out there again.”

He hadn’t made a decision by the time he left TMobile Arena late Saturday with a smile on his face.

UFC President Dana White, however, revealed his preference. He wants McGregor to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a rematch of their October 2018 bout, which McGregor lost. Nurmagomedov is booked to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April.

“With how Khabib won the first time and how famous Khabib has become, we’re looking at HaglerHearns,” White said. “We’re looking at like Ali-Foreman, Ali-Frazier. This is a massive fight with global appeal. This is the fight that you make.” too dark to continue in the final round of the LPGA Tour’s Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. They will return Monday morning in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Inbee Park also was in the playoff but was eliminated on the third extra hole. Lopez (five-under 66), Hataoka (68) and Park (71) finished at 13-under 271.