Conor McGregor News

Justin Golightly - March 17, 2018

As we draw closer to UFC 223’s fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, we wonder when Conor McGregor will be stripped and if he’ll be there to watch the lightweight fight and cheer on his friend and teammate Artem Lobov. He has the power of choice. He can choose the winner of that fight and prove he’s still the very best lightweight in the world, or he can not care at all about the title and go for bigger and better things. Whatever is the biggest, Owen Roddy believes he’ll go for that. “That would be a big pay-per-view without a doubt. I still say that Conor brings most [of the PPV buys]. Like, I think I saw something about Firas [Zahabi] putting up like ‘let’s see who takes the biggest pay-per-view draw’. I’d be confident in saying that Conor is the biggest pay-per-view draw between him and GSP, but it would be an insane fight, it would be a crazy fight, it would be huge. It would be probably the biggest fight that the UFC has thrown, and yeah, it would be great.”

Justin Golightly - March 15, 2018

Most of the things Conor McGregor gets into aren’t straight forward. There are layers, plot twists, double meanings. Everyone scoffed at his comment that he was going to step up to fight Frankie Edgar, but after UFC 222 Dana White admitted it was true. One thing he didn’t comment on though, was the rumored addition of a 165-pound title. As striking coach Owen Roddy broke down the prep leading up to this actually happening, he also revealed a new kernel of information regarding the “super lightweight” title. “I got the call from Conor [McGregor] almost a little under a month out, just kind of out of the blue, ‘Oh yeah, look, [Max] Holloway’s out of the fight, they’re looking for a replacement to fight Frankie so I’m up for it, I’m thinking of doing it’. So I was like, ‘well, alright, let’s see what the craic is,’ and we went in and he sparred. He hadn’t sparred too hard in a while, so like went in and had a good, tough spar with one of the guys similar to Frankie’s size, similar style and stuff like that, and then looked amazing. […] He got back the next day saying that the fight’s gone, that the fight was unavailable now. So yeah. But he was up for it and he was ready to go. And you know, he was putting it in as well. Conor’s been training up here, so he’s got the bug again which is great, but unfortunately that one didn’t come to pass.”

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2018

Over the last few years of his career, UFC superstar Conor McGregor has given us several reasons to believe he might one day get involved in Irish politics. ”As I get older at 29 years of age, I find that I am becoming more and more interested in where much of the money in my home state has gone,” McGregor said in an Instagram post earlier this year. “And where it actually goes when it comes in. There are more and more things I see daily that don’t add up. I see many things I do not like and I see many things that I feel can be easily amended under correct instruction. We shall see.”

Justin Golightly - March 10, 2018

Prediction: GSP vs Conor at 165 lbs. pic.twitter.com/V7LGRkVUNp — Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) March 8, 2018

Justin Golightly - March 8, 2018

Money equals power, if that is the case then Conor McGregor is the most powerful man in the UFC. Yes, he’s not defended a title. Yes, he hasn’t fought in the Octagon since November of 2016, but to rattle off those facts is to miss the point. He hasn’t done those things because he simply doesn’t have to. He defies all the laws — whether actual or forced onto MMA by the fans — that govern any other fighter. He’s earned this leverage by earning more for himself and his company than anyone ever before him. It’s those reasons why Randy Couture thinks the man absolutely deserves whatever he’s asking for. “[Conor McGregor]’s the poster child for why we need the amendment for Mixed Martial Arts. It will be interesting to see if he comes back to MMA. There’s been a lot of rumors and a lot of talk. Has he been stripped of both his titles? Is he gonna come back and fight again? What’s gonna happen? Who’s he gonna fight? And the big question, what’s he gonna get paid after just getting paid 100 million dollars for a boxing match, even though it was just an exhibition and not for a title? What’s he gonna get paid the next time that he comes back and fights in MMA under the UFC moniker? Why would he expect to get paid any less than he got for boxing? I can guarantee you they are not gonna give him that kind of money. So again, why? What’s the difference? Where is the flaw here?”

Justin Golightly - March 8, 2018

Michael Chiesa was riding a nice little three-fight win streak until he ran into Kevin Lee, but now he’s back on the journey to restore his standing in the division and get back in that win column. He’ll be fighting former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis at the stacked UFC 223 card. Not only is he eager to get back in the cage, but he’s also relieved that Conor McGregor will be stripped to leave room for other fighters like himself to eventually get a title shot. “The biggest thing we need, is we need movement. The 155-pound division has been log-jammed so many times. When Anthony was champion he had some injuries that held him out for a while, you know, so the division got jammed up. And then we had some movement, and then Conor [McGregor] won the title and we’re jammed up again, and you know, you just gotta keep the wheels in motion. It’s just good to see. Conor’s a two-time champion, but he can’t just sit and hold the belt and keep us all waiting. You know, there’s a lot of tough guys jockeying for their position to be number one, and you only have so much time in this sport, so you can’t let one guy rob a bunch of us of our opportunities to fight for the belt.”

Tom Taylor - March 8, 2018

UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee is currently booked for a dangerous test opposite Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 12 on April 21. Though this bout is at the forefront of his focus at the moment, Lee also believes he’ll be fighting current UFC lightweight champ and MMA superstar Conor McGregor by the end of the year. “That fight happens at the end of the year, me and Conor,” Lee said at a UFC 222 media scrum, (h/t BloodyElbow). “I think that’s the fight that everybody’s been looking forward to, and is right there within striking distance.”

Tom Taylor - March 8, 2018

At present, it’s not known what the future holds for former UFC welterweight and middleweight champ Georges St-Pierre. He might return to the Octagon, or he might not. If St-Pierre does return to the Octagon, one of the most compelling options for him as far as opponents go would be current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. At least, that’s what St-Pierre’s head coach Firas Zahabi believes.

Justin Golightly - March 7, 2018

50 Cent says white people had to make “Rocky” to make a white fighter that’s better than a black fighter pic.twitter.com/N6Bp2jKHDK — B The Biz (@BrodyTheBiz) March 6, 2018

Justin Golightly - March 6, 2018

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.

Justin Golightly - March 6, 2018

Conor McGregor goes by many names: The Notorious, Mystic Mac, Champ Champ™, and now he can truly call himself The Burger King. He’s flying high (and private) after his huge ad with the food giant, continuing to slay the game as he counts cash on the sidelines. Keeping his mind on money and money on his mind, McGregor was quick to congratulate Jay Z after it was reported by Forbes that the magnate overtook Diddy in profits. He was even quicker to point out he is set to do the same to Floyd Mayweather and Cristiano Ronaldo. “Making deals and taking deals. Kings recognize Kings. Congrats to Jay Z on his number one takeover from Diddy in the highest paid Forbes list. What a takeover. Diddy hasn’t been number two in so long. Until now. Zoom into that two-tone with the powder blue on my wrist, mate. You might see first place again. I am also really interested to see this year’s Forbes highest paid athletes list. I have now surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo as I told him I would in 2016.”

Drake Riggs - March 5, 2018

The social media war continues between former enemies turned UFC champions, Max Holloway and Conor McGregor. There have been slight back and forths between the two since Holloway first won the featherweight title at UFC 212 by defeating Jose Aldo via third round TKO. But it has begun to heat up and get dare I say…a little spicy…

Tom Taylor - March 5, 2018

Conor McGregor is frequently criticized for his lack of activity over the last few years. Yet while this Irishman hasn’t been fighting particularly frequently, he’s still making money. Showcasing his remarkable business savvy, McGregor seems to have a new project or endorsement deal on the go every few weeks. His latest venture is a commercial for Burger King, during which he debuts the fast food giant’s new Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

Tom Taylor - March 5, 2018

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor – who is expected to be stripped of his title any day now – has been very active on social media lately, engaging UFC stars like Max Holloway and Sage Northcutt over the last few days. The latest fighter to be targeted by McGregor on Twitter is interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, who will battle Khabib Nurmagomedov for McGregor’s vacated belt at UFC 223 on April 7.

Chris Taylor - March 4, 2018

Conor McGregor continues to take aim at “kid” Max Holloway Current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who will be stripped of his title as soon as Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov throw their first punch at UFC 223, paid Frankie Edgar some serious respect following “The Answer’s” first career knockout loss to Brian Ortega at last night’s UFC 222 event.

Drake Riggs - March 2, 2018

It appears that we have our concrete answer when it comes to whether or not Conor McGregor will be keeping his UFC lightweight championship. As most know by now, at UFC 223 next month, on April 7, Tony Ferguson will be taking on Khabib Nurmagomedov for Ferguson’s interim title. Although…that is no longer the case as UFC President, Dana White told ESPN today that the fight will be over the undisputed title come fight time as BJPenn.com’s own Chris Taylor first confirmed back in January:

Tom Taylor - February 28, 2018

At this point, oddsmakers favor undefeated lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov to beat all of his rivals – that includes Conor McGregor. In the opinion of lightweight contender Kevin Lee, however, McGregor actually stands a good chance of knocking Nurmagomedov out. This, Lee says, is based more on the holes in Nurmagomedov’s game than McGregor’s skill. Lee gave his assessment of this fight in a chat with Jim Edwards and Danny Austin of MMANytt.com.

Justin Golightly - February 27, 2018

Frankie Edgar has been pretty quiet since Conor McGregor came out with the news that he offered to fight the former lightweight champion at UFC 222. It’s now been confirmed by two sources that this fight was going to be for the 165-pound title, however Edgar still says he was never approached about it. It doesn’t matter though, he says he’d fight McGregor at any weight if he was actually offered the fight. “I woke up from a nap and I saw [news about Conor McGregor saying he was supposed to step in to fight me at UFC 222] it on Twitter. That’s the first I heard of it. I mean, come on, there is no 165-pound belt. You know what I’m saying? I want to fight on the moon. You know what I mean? Come on. [Conor McGregor] doesn’t want to defend his own belt. What, he wants to fight me? I mean, hey, that’d be great. That’d be great for me. Let’s be real. I’m not scared to fight anybody. Come on, I’ve been doing too long to be scared to fight anybody. I mean, if anything, that would be very good for me, to fight Conor McGregor.