Conor McGregor Will Not Vacate Featherweight Title If He Fights For Lightweight Title
Conor McGregor is the king of the featherweight division in the UFC now, but he might be the king of the lightweight division soon. McGregor, who beat Jose Aldo in a featherweight title unification bout as the main event of UFC 194, said before the event and after the event that he was planning to go to lightweight following the event. Apparently, he has a hard weight cut to 145lb, and it would make sense to go up to 155lb.
McGregor addressed this at the post-fight UFC 194 press conference and stated that if he goes up to lightweight that he will not be vacating the featherweight title. He believes that he should have a title for each shoulder.
“I’ll tell you one thing that won’t be happening,” McGregor said. “If I go up to that lightweight division, there’s no way in hell that I’m vacating my belt. That’s not happening. There will be a belt on one shoulder, and a belt on the other.”
McGregor explained that he’s had a busy 2015 and continued to stay fresh so he believes he could fight in both divisions. He also feels that he will defend the featherweight and lightweight titles as often as possible once he wins the lightweight title, which is currently being held by Rafael Dos Anjos, who fights Donald Cerrone at UFC on FOX 17 next weekend.
“I understand why, previously, other fighters wouldn’t do it,” McGregor said. “But look how many fights I’ve had in the last year. I stay busy. I stay fresh. So when I go to lightweight and take that lightweight belt, I will stay the featherweight champion also. I will be a dual weight champion. There’s no going up and vacating. The belt will still be active because I am active.”
McGregor (19-2) is currently on a 15-fight winning streak. There’s no word on when McGregor will fight next.
