Rumor: Conor McGregor Is Fine, Can Fight At UFC 205
Updating a news report that arrived on tonight’s (Wed., September 21, 2016) ‘UFC Tonight’ that featherweight champion Conor McGregor was unlikely to fight at November 12’s blockbuster UFC 205 card from Madison Square Garden due to a lingering leg injury, but supposedly that may not be the case.
According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, sources close to McGregor revealed that ‘The Notorious’ is suffering none of the initial ill effects of the leg injury he sustained against Nate Diaz in their five-round classic at UFC 202. He’s apparently fine and could compete on the historic card were he offered a fight:
According to sources close to McGregor, Conor is "fine" and the leg would not prevent him from fighting at UFC 205.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 22, 2016
The news is no doubt strange, yet it’s not a far cry from the circus we saw unfold this spring when McGregor ‘retired’ from fighting after he was pulled from his scheduled rematch with Diaz in the main event of July 9’s UFC 200 after a dispute over McGregor skipping a press conference in favor of training to avenge his original loss to Diaz at UFC 196.
There was an oft-discussed rumor that McGregor would face lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound title in the main event, but that also devolved into a circus of its own last night when White revealed top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov was actually the next title contender at UFC 205. That fight was reportedly scrapped and moved to December 10’s UFC 206 from Toronto after Alvarez allegedly failed to sign a bout agreement in time for a UFC-imposed deadline to fight at UFC 205.
With that now out in the open, it was thought McGregor may face longtime rival Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt at UFC 205, but apparently the Irish superstar was not even offered a bout at UFC 205. Many are whispering that the whole mess has arisen out of a disagreement over money.
We’ve seen the show before, and it’s obvious that both sides are stubborn and unwilling to back down. As we saw with UFC 200, however, the UFC playing hardball may not be best for business even if they are hell-bent on proving they run the show.
