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MMA

11th Dec 2015

Conor McGregor explains how he plans to defend the featherweight and lightweight belts

With great effort

Patrick McCarry

It could be a hectic 2016, 2017 and 2018 might be busy too.

They often say walk before you run but that advice means nothing to Conor McGregor.

The 27-year-old walked away from two world titles to join the UFC but believes he can repeat the feat on a bigger stage.

McGregor, currently the UFC interim featherweight champion, called out the likes of lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos and Donald Cowboy Cerrone at the promotion’s Go Big event in October. He described the 155lb class as ‘the stuck in the mud division’.

Ahead of Saturday’s title unification bout with Jose Aldo, in Las Vegas, McGregor laid out how he expects to be a two-weight world champion, sooner rather than later.

“There seems to be an opportunity for that lightweight belt. It’s a division that is lacking numbers so you put in the king of the numbers.

“The manner in which I defeat Jose, there will be no rematch. I feel he will retire and I will [then] take that lightweight belt.

“In the meantime, while I get that lightweight belt, I will await a featherweight contender to emerge. Then I will go back down and, while I’m back down [at 145lbs], a contender will emerge from the lightweight division and I will go back up.

“That is how I see my career playing out for the next while.”