Conor McGregor plans to make history again and he’s eager to go through Kamaru Usman to do it.
In an interview with TheMacLife, the UFC’s first fighter to hold title belts in two weight classes simultaneously expressed his desire to capture a third, this time at 170 pounds. McGregor has been sidelined recovering from injury since he broke his leg in a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier last July and when he comes back, he wants it to be for nothing less than gold.
” I believe against Usman for the 170-pound Title for my comeback. That’s McGregor. “Now I haven’t really said that to no one to be honest, I’ve only been thinking that for the last couple of days because for what cut the weight? Although I have already been awarded the 155-pound title I am now a big man. I feel big, I feel strong, I feel healthy, I’ve got good energy. I’m coming back after a gruesome injury. I do not want to deplete myself, there should be no need to deplete myself.
” I’m confident in my abilities against Usman. He is a sloppy, traditional wrestler who does not submit. What’s he gonna do? Is there any danger? I don’t see a danger with him. His ground-and-pound isn’t strong, plus he’s on the older side. And then plus the world is to be took again. Triple crown. The triple crown.
Usman, currently the dominant champion in MMA, sits at the top of MMA Fighting’s Pound for Pound rankings. His 15-0 record in the Octagon is impressive and he has successfully defended his UFC welterweight title for five consecutive years.
McGregor has not held a UFC title since 2018, when he was stripped of the lightweight belt due to inactivity (following a title fight win over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in 2016, McGregor set up a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. the following year). He returned to MMA in 2018 to challenge rival Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at UFC 229, but was defeated. He is just 1-3 since the win over Alvarez.
There has been buzz that McGregor could granted an immediate title shot when he returns, a suggestion that has been met with criticism, but McGregor doesn’t think anyone should be surprised if it happens.
“Enough is enough with the disrespect that comes my way,” McGregor said. “People are gonna give me my respect for the many facets of my game. Everything about my fighting style. It’s clear that I will waltz back to a title shot. It’s that or I won’t, you know what I mean? You must have a title shot. What else can it f****** be?
“Now I’m saying that, let’s see how things shake up. There’s plenty of fights. At the end of it all, I am a fighter. That’s what I will say, but I won’t likely f ****** anything just because I want to compete and fight. However, I would like that gold belt. That world title with the Irish tricolor on it will be mine. I’m the reason that tricolor is on that UFC world title. So I’m eager to get my hands on that belt.”
The lightweight title will next be contested at UFC 274 on May 4 when champion Charles Oliveira defends against Justin Gaethje. Oliveira expressed interest in McGregor’s fight, but “The Notorious” sees himself moving to welterweight permanently.
McGregor has fought at 170 pounds three times in the UFC, splitting a pair of fights with Nate Diaz and finishing Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in just 40 seconds at UFC 246.
” It’s all about finding the right weight, McGregor stated. I don’t see myself returning to 155. I’m eating, I’m lifting, I’m training and I’m not cutting calories so this is my natural state. I can go even bigger.”
” I’m looking at 170,, I believe. I do not want to push 170, too far, so 170, is my favorite. I have always enjoyed a good time with 170 when I had the proper preparation. The Diaz 2 rematch and the ‘Cowboy’ fight in particular. They were excellent performances. These were some of the best UFC performances I have seen and were not calorie deficient
McGregor is not committing to a return date, though he mentioned “late summer” as a possibility. McGregor said that the recovery process from his broken leg was not nearly as hard as the one he had earlier in his career.
An additional motivational factor is the possibility of a clash with Usman, and the opportunity to be the first champ-champ-champ in UFC history.
“I’m very excited.” McGregor said. “There’s history to be made. The game is to be shook up again. It has not been possible to win the triple crown. This will never happen in my lifetime.
“If I–Not if, when I knock Kamaru Usman out at 170, that will be three UFC world titles won moving upward with three knockouts. After I knocked [Jose] Aldo out, Alvarez was knocked off, and Kamaru Usman was knocked down. Three knockouts, three world titles, three weights goin’ up.”
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