Conor McGregor's rise to become the biggest star in mixed martial arts was accelerated by his talent for winning world championships. The Irish superstar cut through the ranks of the featherweight division before knocking off long-standing king Jose Aldo in 13 seconds, then jumped up into lightweight waters to steamroll champion Eddie Alvarez in brutal fashion at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Claiming a second title ushered McGregor into an elite group of men who earned championships in two weight classes, and there appeared to be plenty of options waiting for the double champ inside the Octagon. The Dublin native decided to jump over into the boxing world for a super fight with pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather, and his UFC titles went undefended.

The UFC would eventually strip McGregor of his featherweight crown, but the 155-pound title remained with the "Notorious" one. Yet, with Tony Ferguson holding the interim lightweight title, and Khabib Nurmagomedov making a serious bid for title contention, the pressure to defend or vacate has never been stronger.

There has been no word from McGregor's camp as to what the star's next move will be, but UFC commentator and podcast extraordinaire Joe Rogan believe the writing is on the wall so to speak. During a recent episode of the the JRE, Rogan made a prediction regarding McGregor's champion status, and it if true, the once double champ would return to contender status.

“Here’s my prediction: My prediction is Conor doesn’t fight for a while. They strip Conor,” Rogan said. "Tony and Khabib fight for the world title.

“I think they’re going to strip him, because Conor’s got $100 million in the bank, and he’s having fun and talking sh*t, and he’s going to keep training. And he’s going to make a big fight in the future, but I think Khabib and Tony is the big fight and they might even do that one in Russia. They’re talking about doing a big fight in Russia.” 

Rogan's reference to a possible fight in Russia came amidst rumors of the UFC making a bid to lock down a venue in Moscow in September. While there has yet to be an official word on the matter, if true that would support another rumor that the promotion is targeting a matchup between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov for April, then a potential matchup between McGregor and the winner later in 2018.

Locking down a venue in Russia certainly suggests the UFC is banking on Nurmagomedov emerging victorious in that tilt, but there could also be an entirely different plan in place. No matter the case, it would seem extremely unlikely the organization would venture into Russia without "The Eagle" as the anchor.