After his big win over featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 194, brash Irishman Conor McGregor claimed he will move up in weight in 2016 to conquer the 155-pound title as well and defend two belts simultaneously. It’s an idea that UFC president Dana White seems to support, as he now revealed in Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight.
“Conor has said that he would like to win the 155-pound belt and fight four times a year and defend both belts,” White said. “If anybody can do it, Conor McGregor can. This guy has pretty much done everything he said he would do. I’m interested.” (Transcription: MMA Fighting)
Usually, a UFC champion had to vacate his title if he wanted to move up to another division, but the pay-per-view superstar in McGregor might be the first exception to that rule.
“That is true that normally I would say if you’re going to move up in weight, you have to give up the belt,” White said. “But Conor has done everything he said he would do. He loves to fight. He really likes money, so if anybody could do it, it’s probably him.”
This sounds like bad news for 145-pound number-one contender Frankie Edgar, who has been promised a title shot on many occasions and seems to be losing his patience while he’s still waiting for his opportunity.
155-pound titleholder Rafael dos Anjos recently finished Donald Cerrone in little more than a minute at UFC on FOX in December, just one week after McGregor’s featherweight title win.