Dana White Says UFC Could ‘Absolutely’ Strip Conor McGregor Of Title
UFC president Dana White broke down his reaction to last night’s (Sun., January 14, 2017) UFC Fight Night 124 from St. Louis during the post-fight show on FOX Sports 1, but the discussion not surprisingly shifted to the messy lightweight title landscape as champion Conor McGregor sits on the bench with no return in view.
As interim champion Tony Ferguson heals from elbow surgery, the future of the storied 155-pound class was only made more confusing when Khabib Nurmagomedov ran over Edson Barboza at December 30, 2017’s UFC 219. The performance was so dominant it reminded fights fan everywhere just why “The Eagle” was considered quite possibly the toughest out in the class, with only his only injuries and weight-cutting issues preventing him from hoisting the belt.
So as McGregor mulls his next move that will reportedly require a promoter’s share of the profit, White said that if McGregor waits until this fall to step into the octagon, the weight class would have to move on, so they’re working on Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov, and it may be for the real championship:
“Conor has said he’s thinking about coming back in September, if he comes back in September, that’s almost two years. That can’t happen, it’s just, it’s not fair to everybody else. Love Conor, respect Conor, love everything that he’s done for this company, everybody knows that; I say it all the time. The belt would have to move on. You do Khabib vs. Tony; we’re working on that fight now, and if and when Conor comes back, he would get the first crack at the title.”
Previously saying that McGregor would have until March to make a decision, White then confirmed that the promotion was ready to strip by far their biggest star as a matter of principle:
“Absolutely.”
As the UFC is bombarded with a stream of hate that only grows much bigger with each day, the world leader in mixed martial arts seems to be being lenient with their only real superstar, but with a limit to how long they are willing to wait.
Many thought UFC titles were devalued at an alarming rate during a strange transitionary period for the UFC and new owners Endeavor last year, so it should be refreshing for many hardcore fans of the sport to see them put out a concrete plan of where lightweight will go.
Now, they’ll just have to act on it.
