By Friday afternoon [around 4pm Irish time] Conor McGregor may officially hold no UFC belts.
Already relieved of the UFC featherweight belt he claimed by beating Jose Aldo in December 2015, McGregor is set to lose his lightweight crown too.
He won the 155lbs strap by beating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, in November 2016, but has not fought in the promotion since [although he did take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing contest].
The UFC, according to president Dana White, will strip him of his lightweight belt on Friday, once Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway both make championship weight for their UFC 223 main event.
At the UFC 223 pre-fight press conference, on Wednesday night, White said interim champion Tony Ferguson would not lose his belt but ‘The Notorious’ would. He declared:
“There’s no stripping. We’re not stripping Tony Ferguson. Tony Ferguson isn’t being stripped. The only one that’s losing the belt here is Conor. Conor’s losing the belt. These two (Holloway and Nurmagomedov) are fighting for the belt.”
McGregor has not been too active on social media of late but did surface, earlier in the week, to take a pop at Ferguson, who pulled out of his planned bout with Nurmagomedov at late notice. On Thursday morning, however, the 29-year-old fired off a massive broadside.
[WARNING: There is a particularly bad word in the tweet below]
You’s’ll strip me of nothing you’s do nothing cunts.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 5, 2018
That is certainly a preposterous and brash statement from the champ champ.
It is now over 500 days since the Dubliner has defended his lightweight title and there has not even been a title defence booked. White said McGregor will fight later this year but if it is not until October or November, he will have been absent from MMA for almost two years.
The official weigh-ins will take place in Brooklyn on Friday morning and if both Nurmagomedov and Holloway both make championship weight [155lbs or under] the fight will be for the undisputed lightweight belt.
McGregor will then be officially stripped of his title. Nothing has happened yet but his time as UFC champion may well be winding up.
