Can you believe it's been nearly eight years since that crisp fall day in New York City in November 2016, when the world as we know it was forever changed?

No, no. Not that fall day in New York City.

Another one, later in the same week, when the most notorious figure in the MMA world—heavy-handed Irish firebrand Conor McGregor—exited a UFC stage for the final time with a championship belt slung across his shoulder.

He squashed an outgunned Eddie Alvarez across two rounds in a Madison Square Garden cage to claim octagonal supremacy at 155 pounds, just 11 months after he'd blitzed Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to earn his first world title 10 pounds south at featherweight.

McGregor was the first fighter—and remains the only male—to hold titles in multiple divisions at the same time, and, on that day at least, it seemed his reign would never end.

But it did.

And though he remains the most recognizable figure in the sport and among the famous people on the planet, prolonged bouts of inactivity and chaos—not to mention three one-sided losses in four subsequent fights—have left a now-36-year-old former champ-champ in need of a reboot to, pardon the paraphrase, make himself great again.

The B/R combat team members appointed themselves collective campaign managers and went about setting up a six-fight comeback tour that'd end with McGregor taking back his place at the top of the combat sports mountain. Check out the course we've charted and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments section.

1. Tony Ferguson

It's a recipe Jake Paul has been following for a few years now.

Find a foe with a recognizable name and worthwhile street cred who's well past his fighting prime, meaning he'll still generate high fan reward while offering low competitive risk.

For McGregor, in the MMA world, that means Tony Ferguson.

"El Cucuy" was a high-profile contemporary of McGregor's during a 12-fight win streak that stretched from 2013 to 2019 and the two were often linked as would-be opponents, but the fight never came off. And Ferguson's historic run is a distant memory these days, having ended with a KO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 that swelled to an eight-fight skid with a first-round choke out by part-time analyst Michael Chiesa in August.

But he's not officially retired yet and there'd be no better golden parachute than a farewell date with McGregor, who's maintained a vow to "end" Ferguson as recently as last year.

Chip off some rust. Settle a long-time feud. Build momentum for the next one.

2. Nate Diaz

Second verse, same as the first.

Assuming he'd beat Ferguson—a prerequisite for continuing on any relevant level—McGregor could parlay the hype into a date with another former rival, though this time one that he has actually fought, twice, in a UFC setting.

Nate Diaz, for those who've forgotten, stepped in on short notice to face McGregor at UFC 196 in March 2016, just four months after the Irishman's destruction of Aldo, and emerged with the upset via rear-naked choke after barely more than nine minutes at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The surprise result yielded a trash-talk palooza prior to a rematch five months later, which McGregor won by majority decision in perhaps the guttiest performance of his career—the only fight he's won beyond three rounds and the only time he's ever gone a full 25 minutes.

A trilogy match was often discussed but never finalized and Diaz has split four UFC fights since, while dipping his toe into the boxing water against both Paul and Jorge Masvidal.

Now 39, he'd still be a formidable foe and a pay-per-view gold mine, but, like Ferguson, is the sort of opponent McGregor would have to handle to stay in the championship discussion.

3. Jorge Masvidal

Oh, did we mention that Masvidal fellow?

A date with "Gamebred" would satisfy precisely the same craving as one with Diaz, and it'd provide an equally lucrative payday given the Miami-based Cuban's perpetual popularity and significant street cred as one of the sport's baddest MFs.

A soon-to-be 40-year-old whose birthday is November 12, Masvidal ended his octagonal run with a unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in Miami, but returned to meet Diaz in a summertime boxing match that was well-received by fans and media.

He's since said he wants to rescind his retirement from the cage and there's little doubt he'd jump at the chance to engage with McGregor, though he's said he doubts McGregor's stated intention to return is legitimate and threw some incendiary shade by suggesting over the weekend that McGregor "can't do enough cocaine to f---ing get [jacked] up to fight me."

There's been no return word from Team Notorious quite yet, but it's not difficult to imagine a reply that'd begin stoking the fire for a colossal heel vs. heel showdown. And given his all-around skill set and advantages in speed and athleticism, mark it down as another momentum-building win.

4. Paddy Pimblett

OK, here's where it gets interesting.

If McGregor could successfully navigate the middle-aged minefield of Ferguson, Diaz and Masvidal, he'd presumably be ready to graduate to a younger, fresher competitive test.

And there'd be no better fit than Paddy Pimblett.

The 29-year-old Englishman has presented himself as McGregor 2.0 in a pro career that began in 2012 and included a title-belted run in the Cage Warriors promotion before a move to the UFC three years ago provided three Performance of the Night bonuses in just 10 months.

He's since improved to 6-0 in the promotion, dispatching Ferguson and fellow veteran (Bobby) King Green along the way to climb into the lightweight rankings at No. 14.

A duel with McGregor would be ideally suited to a paradigm-shifting venue like Croke Park in Dublin, and the legitimacy of another title run for the older man would be enhanced by a victory over a foe seven years younger and on a legitimate roll.

If Pimblett maintains his standing while McGregor's initial hurdles are cleared, it's a stone-cold blockbuster.

5. Michael Chandler

Well, we've been talking about it for long enough, why not do it?

McGregor's long-awaited UFC return was to have occurred against Michael Chandler several times now but has been scuttled by injuries and other factors.

It's to the point where both have new quarry on their minds, but it'll remain a tasty matchup whether it occurs right away or stews for a bit longer.

The two men were opposing coaches and chatty rivals during a recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, and, though Chandler hasn't yet reached the heights expected when he arrived to the promotion amid hoopla at UFC 257—on the undercard of McGregor's second date with Dustin Poirier—he's still a worthwhile championship-level gatekeeper.

Chandler followed a quick finish of Dan Hooker in his debut with losses to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, then stopped Ferguson in two rounds before a submission loss to Poirier.

He's set to face Oliveira in a rematch at UFC 309 and is still ranked sixth at 155 pounds, so, even if he's 40 by the time McGregor finally stands across from him, he'll still provide a real indication of whether another title bid is warranted.

And, if it is...wow!

6. Islam Makhachev

Love McGregor or hate him, at least part of you hopes it all shakes out this way, right?

If the former double-champ gets through the old timers, the youngster, and the perennial contender, he'd find himself in line for an authentic revenge angle main event that'd make the sports entertainment likes of Vince McMahon green with envy.

Imagine if you will, McGregor, in a lightweight title fight with the division's most recent kingpin and the promotion's reigning pound-for-pound elite, Islam Makhachev.

A 32-year-old from the combat-rich Dagestani region of Russia, Makhachev reached the UFC in 2015 and won 11 of 12 fights to earn a shot against Oliveira that turned to gold with an arm triangle choke in Abu Dhabi two years ago. He's defended three times since, turning back a pair of challenges from then-featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski before submitting Poirier in the 23rd minute of their title bout four months ago.

Oh, and in case you hadn't picked up on the revenge thing yet, Makhachev shares a homeland with and is a protege/training partner of perhaps McGregor's most heated all-time rival, former champion and recent Hall of Fame inductee Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov finished McGregor with a choke in a lightweight title bout in October 2018, a fight that took place a few months after McGregor tossed a metal equipment dolly at a bus on which Nurmagomedov and his teammates were riding. On fight night, Nurmagomedov exited the cage after defeating McGregor and charged toward members of his foe's team, instigating a scuffle that ultimately yielded a suspension.

And if you're wondering whether Makhachev is down with it, wonder no more.

"Why not? People have to be stupid to say no. Of course, I will fight with him," he told the Pound4Pound podcast in May. "I don't want to make him feel or look bad, but everybody knows this guy not same. Before, yeah, for sure. When he was fighting with Khabib, he in the good shape. He a high-level fighter, but right now, too much alcohol, too much whiskey and it's not same."

Shots fired.