Last month, in the main event of UFC 205, Conor McGregor knocked out Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC lightweight title. Because the Irishman owned the UFC featherweight title at the time, this win made him the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously.
Unfortunately for McGregor, this reign as two-division champion did not last long.
The chaos began when UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier pulled out of his planned bout with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, which was expected to serve as the main event of UFC 206. Desperate for a new main event for this card, the UFC opted to strip McGregor of the featherweight title, promote interim featherweight champ Jose Aldo to undisputed champ, and have Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway battle for interim featherweight gold in UFC 206’s new main event. And just like that, McGregor’s time as the UFC’s only two-division titleholder was over. At least, that’s what the UFC would have us believe…
McGregor, it would seem, still considers himself the king of both the lightweight and featherweight divisions. Not only did he say as much at a recent press conference in Belfast, but he’s also still strutting around with both belts slung over his shoulders – as you can see in the video at the top of this article.
“The motherf*cking champ champ,” the video is captioned.
Given the fact that McGregor has not fought at featherweight in almost a year, and that his next challenge will probably be at lightweight or even welterweight, the UFC’s decision to strip him is certainly understandable. Given that he knocked out the division’s new champ Jose Aldo in just 13 second, however, his perception that he’s still the featherweight king is also easy to understand.
What do you think of the UFC’s recent decision to end McGregor’s featherweight title reign? Sound off, PENN Nation!