Thanks to Conor McGregor, in part due to Frankie Edgar’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz, the 165 division has been talked about more recently than it has in the last couple of years. When it was leaked he wanted a 165-pound title during the UFC 222 late replacement back-and-forth, few really believed it. However, Artem Lobov and later Dana White confirmed McGregor was indeed in talks to step up and fight Edgar. Now Diego Sanchez has brought everything back in discussion and has the monumental fight he wants to debut the division.
“Conor McGregor, come on brother. We need the 165-pound weight class. You have the power with UFC and Dana White to make it happen. First three division champion fight and winner goes down as the real greatest of all time. The sport needs this weight class. Georges St-Pierre talks 155-pounds, 165-pounds is realistic. Make it happen, Audie Attar. History in the making.” — Diego Sanchez on his official Instagram.
“The thing is, Conor McGregor – money wise is the one that can put the most money on the table. However, legacy-wise, I don’t think he’s the guy. For me, legacy means more to me than the money.” – GSP #TheMMAHour
— Justin Golightly (@SecretMovesMMA) March 5, 2018
Right now, there is at the very least a stacked top five of talent ready to occupy a 165-pound ‘super lightweight’ division. Diego Sanchez himself has bounced around, fighting in four different divisions over his insane 16-year career. The hypothetical weight class could have been his Goldilocks division. A logical choice for a Conor McGregor title fight at 165 would definitely be Nate Diaz, but Sanchez makes a great argument even though Georges St-Pierre had already kind of shut it down.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/6/2018.