Absolutely nobody knows who’s next for Robbie Lawler.
The welterweight title picture is so populated that one wouldn’t be surprised if any of a seven-man strong group is next for the 170 lb champion.
Stephen Thompson made his case with a glorious first round knockout of Johny Hendricks two weeks ago. There would be few complaints if Carlos Condit was awarded an immediate rematch. Nick Diaz is due back in the octagon soon. As is Rory MacDonald. And Tyron Woodley was all but promised the next crack at Lawler.
Two outside shots are Demian Maia, who is riding a four-fight win streak, and UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who has hinted at a desire to move straight up to welterweight if he dethrones 155 lb champ Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196.
But Maia has made it very clear that he will be upset if McGregor’s pay-per-view drawing power leads Dana White to offer him the chance to capture 170 lb gold in the summer.
“Sad, you know, because that’s crazy,” Maia said on Monday’s edition of TheMMAHour. “We are athletes, and we work very hard in our way to the title. I understand that this fight would make a lot of money, but as an athlete, I don’t agree with that. I can’t disagree more.
“If you think okay, you gotta work, do a couple fights at least to prove that you can fight because it’s a different division. But, at the end of the day, I don’t think he will win against Rafael.”
Maia believes the jump-up to 155 lbs, let alone 170 lbs, will be too significant for McGregor to make history by becoming the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two separate weight divisions
“It’s too much weight difference,” he said. “I think it’s a different body type. Rafael is very tough, he proved that in his last fights. I’m sure (Conor) has his chance, of course. He proved that against Aldo.
“Most people that understand the sport didn’t think he was going to win, and he did in a fashionable way. It was crazy. I was shocked. I went to the corridor to watch the fight, just relax, and when the things happened I was shocked. I was really, ‘what the fuck’.”
Maia meets fellow top contender Matt Brown at UFC 198 and the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is adamant that a victory would all but cement a title shot for him.
“Give me that title shot if I win,” he said. “If I win that fight I wanna fight for the title. Forget about McGregor!”
