Dana White has already gone on the record saying that Conor McGregor will return to featherweight and fight Jose Aldo after his bout against Nate Diaz (at least according to Aldo). The only problem is, of course, that McGregor doesn’t seem too enthusiastic with the plan. McGregor is scheduled to fight Diaz this Saturday, August 20th in Las Vegas, Nevada. And once the PPV is over (and for his own purposes, assuming he wins) McGregor’s focus appears to be firmly on what feels right.
On the latest episode of the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, McGregor expanded more as to just what he’s thinking when it comes to the future, post-UFC 202 (transcript via MMA Fighting):
“It ain’t an easy cut, but I have a nutritionist (George Lockhart) now onboard, and that Aldo cut was the best cut I ever had,” McGregor said. “The IV was banned, we weren’t allowed to use an IV to rehydrate. I made championship weight and I rehydrated fully. I was brand new. So the weight is there for me to make. Look, it’s got to be right. I’ve got to be intrigued by it. I can’t be intrigued by a guy who’s been running, and still, I still see a runner in my eyes when I look at Jose.
“I still see a guy who I’ll go through the whole sh*t again and then nine days out, ‘hey Conor, we’ve got a middleweight here, do you want to fight a middleweight?’ Okay, then f*ck I’ll fight a middleweight. It’s got to appeal to me, so it’s got to be right. Like I said, I’ve got this guy (Diaz) to take care of, but I’m still the featherweight world champion, and after this fight we’ll sit down and I’m sure they’ll attempt to make it right, make it sweet for me.”
It wasn’t just Jose Aldo McGregor had harsh words for (and perhaps a lack of interest in). The featherweight champ took aim at newly crowned lightweight king Eddie Alvarez too, calling the 155er a “bum” and a “novice” for his striking style:
“Like I said, there’s a lot of options,” McGregor concluded. “They’re all begging for it. They’re all begging in their own unique way, but make no mistake, it’s begging. They are all begging for this. They’re all begging for what Nate got. They look at Nate, who went from 20-and-20 to now he’s talking big money, so they’re all on their hands and knees begging for this. So like I said, I’ll have this fight [at UFC 202], I’ll sit down with Mr. (Dana) White and the new owners … and then we’ll figure it out from there.”
UFC 202 goes down this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The PPV card will be headlined by the welterweight bout between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira will be the co-main event. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and notes.
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