Getty Conor McGregor poses during a ceremonial weigh in for UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena on July 09, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor is coming off two straight losses in the UFC lightweight division to the same opponent as well as a devastating leg injury. But that apparently hasn’t kept the Irishman from believing his days of conquering new weight classes are over. As part of his latest batch of social media posts, McGregor teased the idea when answering a fan’s question that he could somehow move up to the welterweight division and win a UFC title there. Never mind that McGregor has a long road ahead of him recovering from the broken tibia he suffered at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. McGregor has his mind on capturing gold at 170 pounds.
McGregor posted, “…I fight for the 170lb title I will spark him too. That would be fastest ko in ufc title fight (13 seconds). Most knockdowns in ufc title fight (5). And then another KO in a ufc title fight. 3 title fights. 3 ko’s. 3 new records. It’s right there!”
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman fired back at McGregor over the idea. He said, “Spark who?? You must be talking about that pipe you’ve been smoking. Unlike you, if I’m gonna talk s*** ill @ U. Now be quiet before I call Poirier or Khabib or Diaz to finish you again…”.
Coincidentally, one of that group of McGregor’s biggest rivals in history recently tabbed Usman as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed his opinion via Instagram.
He posted a picture of himself with Usman. The caption reads, “With p4p best fighter in the World…”.
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More About Rankings and Where McGregor Stands Now
Nurmagomedov retired from MMA without a loss on his record. The 29-0 Russian briefly replaced UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones on the UFC’s official pound-for-pound list at the end of his career, and Jones remains No. 1 on the list now that “The Eagle” has flown the coop.
But No. 2 on the list is Usman, the dominant UFC welterweight champion that McGregor seems to believe he could defeat by knockout in a future fight.
Poirier, who defeated McGregor by stoppage twice this year is ranked No. 6.
McGregor is unranked.
While he’s been one of the most popular MMA fighters in history with a myriad of impressive accomplishments on his ledger, the plain truth of the matter is that the former “champ champ” has gone just 1-3 in his last four UFC fights.
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Long Road Ahead for McGregor
McGregor is currently ranked No. 9 in the UFC’s stacked 155-pound division, so he has a long road ahead of him to get back to the top of the sport.
The injury he suffered at UFC 264 will make things even more difficult for “Notorious”.
UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira currently rules his division, and stars such as Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev are among its top contenders.
So McGregor might be thinking about Usman right now, but he has a long ladder to climb in a division below if he ever hopes to get anywhere close to facing Usman.
Heck, McGregor has a long journey ahead of him if he ever hopes to see Oliveira inside the UFC’s Octagon, too.
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