Will the chaos surrounding UFC 229 factor into the plans of MSG’s UFC 230?

Heading into UFC 230, there are plenty of questions that fans are still waiting to be answered. Is Valentina Shevchenko v. Sijara Eubanks for the Women’s Flyweight Title the actual main event? Will Nate Diaz v. Dustin Poirier, a non-title fight, be a five-round fight? With just less than a month to go, the UFC has a lot to think about.

One way to provide fans an incentive to attend the show at Madison Square Garden? Invest in some chaos.

As you may have heard, UFC 229 was a show fans will never forget. The beef between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov reached a boiling point. After Khabib (27-0) defeated Conor (21-4), a brawl broke out between the two camps, in and out of the octagon. Khabib retained his Lightweight Title, but that could all change if the Nevada Athletic Commission’s investigation leads to any serious charges. He could lose his title, or nothing could happen. If the former were to take place, what would become of the title?

Along with Khabib, Conor and Tony Ferguson, the involvement of Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier could make UFC 230 another card to remember, for all the right reasons.

The UFC is known for taking advantage of controversial moments. They hyped the fight between McGregor and Khabib based off of the bus incident before UFC 223. You know, the one where Conor threw a dolly in an attempt to go after Khabib, who confronted Artem Lobov with his team beforehand. If a rematch were to take place, would you really be surprised if they used footage from UFC 229 to create another hype package? A wise man’s (Eric Bischoff) mantra for many years became the title of his book, Controversy Creates Cash. In this case, he may have a point when it comes to ticket sales.

If the UFC were to strip Khabib of the belt, you have an opportunity for Nate (19-11) and Dustin (24-5 (1NC)) to fight for it. They were campaigning for weeks to fight for a title anyway. It will bring in some new blood into a title scene that has been stagnant for a long time. Do you remember the last time someone actually successfully defended the Lightweight Title? Rafael dos Anjos over Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 17, back in 2015!

If not, you could make the fight between Nate and Dustin a true contender bout. If anything, go for the dream matches everyone has been talking about. You could have Khabib, who would still be the champion, face Tony Ferguson. Stripped of the belt due to an injury before UFC 223, Ferguson (24-3) had a terrific performance at UFC 229 against Anthony Pettis. Fifth time’s the charm, right? The winner of Nate and Dustin could face Conor, although it is all but assumed that we are heading towards Nate/Conor III no matter what. The winner of those two fights will then face off for one big super fight. Doesn’t sound so bad, right?

.@TonyFergusonXT is here to clean up the sport of MMA. #UFC229

Read more: https://t.co/RbPVlXa7sJ pic.twitter.com/wfgJjjYpHZ

— MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) October 8, 2018

First things first: the drama surrounding UFC 229 won’t be ending anytime soon. Once Dana White can get a breather, however, business will be back in motion.

What do you think should be done with the Lightweight Title situation?

UFC 230 takes place on November 3 inside Madison Square Garden. Tickets are available at the MSG box office or Ticketmaster.com.