Conor McGregor is booked to fight one of the most fearsome fighters on the UFC roster on July 11 at UFC 189. He will face 25-1 featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
But he’s already planning future moves.
Speaking with the press during the ongoing UFC 189 World Championship Tour, McGregor said he can make the move to lightweight—and beyond—immediately.
“To be honest, I would go up [now]. I’ve campaigned for many lightweight fights since I’ve been in the UFC,” McGregor said. “If it presents itself, I’ll take it. I’ve fought in multiple weight divisions before. I have no problem going right up to welterweight.”
However, should he defeat Aldo at UFC 189, McGregor admits there will be a slight hurdle in his quest to conquer multiple divisions. He’ll be the featherweight champion, and he may have to stick around to defend his belt.
“Obviously, with the belt on the line it’s a little bit different,” McGregor said. “Because it’s the belt now. They don’t just allow you to move freely. So we’ll see.”
McGregor then mentioned that he almost convinced the UFC brass to give him the UFC 180 showdown against Diego Sanchez he so desperately desired.
However, UFC President Dana White shot that idea down, favoring to work toward the bigger picture that is currently unfolding in McGregor’s career.
While the Irishman has talked the talk and walked the walk so far in his MMA career, I’m personally not a huge fan of the lightweight and welterweight discussions.
He’s fighting Aldo in July, and as six UFC opponents have found out the hard way, getting past the Brazilian is a daunting and nearly impossible task.
While McGregor boasts the sharpest stand-up skills Aldo has faced so far, there’s no doubt the champ is on an entirely different level than the Dennis Sivers and Dustin Poiriers of the world.
Beyond Aldo, the lightweight division is packed with talent, boasting arguably the deepest roster of any class in the UFC. McGregor would have his hands full with any top-10 lightweight and even some outside that rank.
While it’s fun to consider McGregor becoming a three-division star for the UFC, the talk is a little premature until he proves he can handle the man right in front of him.
All quotations and paraphrases obtained in a press conference, courtesy of MMAJunkie.com’s Rick J. Lee.
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