Now that the initial shock of the Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez lightweight title fight being booked has started to wear off, the vitriol-filled reactionists of the MMA community have once again come out of the woodwork to voice their disapproval. Some are claiming that Conor didn’t deserve the shot in the first place*, others are petitioning to have him stripped of the featherweight belt for refusing to defend it**, and other, Stockton, California-based fans are demanding that McGregor own up and take the ass-whipping that is due to him in a trilogy match with Nate Diaz***.
Regardless of which camp you find yourself in, it’s safe to say that, should McGregor defeat Alvarez on November 12 (which he’s already being slightly favored to do), it would create one hell of a sticky situation for the UFC. McGregor is only one man, after all, and the UFC can’t exactly afford to have him holding up two different weight classes while pursuing whatever money fights he so desires in the meantime. It doesn’t seem like he’s in any hurry to defend the featherweight title that he captured last December, so at some point the UFC is going to have to make a decision regarding what to do with the man who is seemingly calling all the shots.
Luckily, McGregor has gone ahead and resolved the situation on his own, as the “Notorious” one is wont to do. In an appearance on Sportscenter this morning, Dana White dropped something of a bombshell when he announced that McGregor would be giving up one of his belts if he defeats Alvarez at UFC 205.
“So this fight’s coming up and he wants to try to gain both belts. He will give up one of the titles after that fight in New York,” said White. “[Which title] we’ll figure out. He’s got some stuff going on right now. Some personal stuff I’m sure he’ll announce when he’s ready.”
As to what this “personal stuff” could be, well, we have a few guesses.
- McGregor’s longtime girlfriend, Dee Devlin, is pregnant with a little McGregor that has already been booked against Nate Diaz at UFC 220.
- McGregor is going to pull another fake retirement to demand even MORE money for his next fight (which he will receive).
- McGregor is leaving MMA behind to pursue his true passion: Magic. He will embark on a multi-country tour with Criss Angel at the start of 2017.
Obviously, the crux of the UFC’s plans for McGregor will depend on his performance against Alvarez on November 12, but one thing’s for sure: Jose Aldo will not be letting him slip away that easily …
*Which is accurate, but also just adorable in its naivety to how this sport operates.
**Which would be accurate if McGregor didn’t win the title less than a year ago.
***Which, STOCKTON MOTHERF*CKER.