UFC makes ultimatum to Conor McGregor: fight by March or face the consequences
Conor McGregor remains the UFC lightweight champion, even though he hasn’t fought since he won the championship in November 2016.
Some UFC fans believe going more than a year without defending your title is grounds for having UFC take McGregor’s championship belt from him.
UFC president Dana White disagrees with that notion, but he does agree that White needs to make a decision about his future.
White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that McGregor has to commit to a date for returning to UFC or else he will lose his championship.
“Conor has some big decisions to make here, and really quick,” White said. “If Conor waits until August or September, that’s two years since the belt has been defended, and that can’t happen.”
McGregor did fight in August, but that was a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, and not a UFC event. McGregor lost by way of a technical knockout in the 10th round of the match, when the referee stopped the match after McGregor displayed symptoms of head trauma.
He has not fought since, and White admits he doesn’t know if McGregor will return.
What White does know is the UFC’s lightweight division needs to move on.
Tony Ferguson is the interim lightweight champion in McGregor’s absence. White is hoping to have Ferguson fight rising star Khabib Nurmagomedov for the interim championship, then have the winner fight McGregor for the undisputed title.
“As long as Conor is willing to fight by March, we could do Khabib (Nurmagomedov) versus Tony (Ferguson) and then the winner fights Conor for the title,” White said. “Or, if Conor wants to sit out until next fall, then we’d have to make Khabib versus Tony for the title, not the interim title.”
White said he understands if McGregor decides not to fight again, but the other UFC fighters deserve an opportunity to pursue the championship.
“This is a game of time,” White said. “We can’t let this go on forever and not give other guys an opportunity. Tony has earned his dues. Khabib has earned his dues and the list goes on and on. The belt has to move on.”
White told reporters in November that McGregor received such a huge payday for his battle with Mayweather that he may not have the motivation to fight again.
“I’ve got guys who have made less than (McGregor) who were lawyers their whole lives and quit working,” White said. “And fighting is the worst. Try to get up and get punched in the face for a living when you’ve got $100 million in the bank.”
White said UFC will survive and thrive, with or without McGregor.
“At the end of the day, I’m going to run this business with or without anybody,” White said in November. “If Conor wants to fight again, we absolutely want Conor to come back. But if Conor walks away and doesn’t fight again, it’s part of the game.”
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