UFC press release suggests Conor McGregor won’t actually be stripped

"You're gonna need a fucking army to come take them belts off me," Conor McGregor.

If Conor McGregor doesn't defend his belt in February and the UFC don't strip him, he will set an unwanted record. He will overtake Anthony Pettis as the fighter who has held a UFC title the longest without attempting their first defence. McGregor's sat on the 155 lb throne longer than he lasted atop the 145 lb pile. He held the featherweight belt for 350 days before he relinquished it. It's no wonder why the promotion are moving the lightweight division forward without him. Although Dana White has been talking about stripping McGregor, there are question marks over when this will actually happen. The promotion's initial announcement for UFC 223's headliner hasn't cleared the situation up. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/952825435666243584 It's official, Tony Ferguson has been booked to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 223's main event. Ferguson set a divisional record of 10 consecutive victories en route to winning the interim strap. Nurmagomedov has a pristine 25-0 professional record. These two seem destined to collide and hopefully at the fourth time of asking, they actually will. On paper, this is the greatest lightweight title fight in the history of the sport. However, the press release issued by the promotion suggests that it won't be for the undisputed crown.

"The UFC's return to Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Apr. 7 will feature one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the new year, as interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson faces No. 2-ranked contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC 223 main event. "

https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/951501799286099968 'El Cucuy' is named as the interim champion and Nurmagomedov is listed as the number two contender in the statement. This suggests that Ferguson will be defending the interim strap, meaning his calls for McGregor to 'defend or vacate' have fallen on deaf ears. McGregor may very well be the undisputed champion when this fight happens. All shall be revealed at Friday's press conference.