Coach Wouldn’t Be Surprised If Conor McGregor Fought Robbie Lawler At UFC 200
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to make history in just a few weeks as he aims to become the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes.
The “Notorious” one will take on reigning lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Despite having an extremely tall order in front of him, could we possible see McGregor challenge for a third world title as early as this summer? His head coach John Kavanagh wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that way:
“I’ve seen that rumors of Conor fighting Robbie Lawler for the 170-pound belt at UFC 200 on July 9 have been gathering momentum. It’s not something we have discussed specifically but after Conor wins the lightweight belt, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the next fight is for the welterweight belt,” McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh wrote in a post on The 42 on Thursday.
“If that’s what Conor wants to do, I’ll absolutely support that move. I think that would be fantastic. We’re already talking about making history in a few weeks, but can you imagine what it will be like if Conor is the champion in three weight classes by the summer?”
Due to the fact that he cuts a tremendous amount of weight to fight at featherweight, moving to 155-pounds was likely from the onset for McGregor, and he’ll likely size up well with the lightweight elite.
That being said, moving up another 15 pounds to welterweight is a different story. Once again, Kavanagh isn’t worried, noting that with proper time McGregor could be a force at 170-pounds:
“As time goes on, it’s harder to predict what will happen in the future. Conor has a sort of unusual body type in that even though he can make featherweight, he’s still a very big lightweight,” Kavanagh explained.
“Given some time, as well as a bit of strength and conditioning work, he could also be a force at welterweight. This is an interesting time.”
While holding two titles at one time has been unheard of in the UFC, being a three-weight world champion just seems silly to even fathom about. If any man could do it, however, it would be the brash Irish knockout artist.
What do you think the future holds for McGregor?
