Former UFC heavyweight star Brendan Schaub thinks featherweight champion Conor McGregor would outclass welterweight king Robbie Lawler, although he’s conceded he doesn’t feel confident in the Irishman’s chances against lightweight title-holder Rafael dos Anjos in his next bout.
Speaking with Joe Rogan (h/t Mike Drahota of LowKick) Schaub made some pretty bold claims about McGregor’s possible chances of beating the 170-pound champion should the two ever square off inside the cage:
I’m gonna say something crazy, Joe. Are you ready for this?
I think the toughest match-up possible for McGregor in the UFC is dos Anjos. I think the easier fight for him is Robbie Lawler. Robbie’s not gonna touch him. Not a chance. I think he f--ks Robbie up, and I love Robbie! Style wise he f--ks Robbie up.
McGregor is moving up to lightweight to face Dos Anjos, seeking to break new ground in the UFC, as he’ll become the first fighter in the company’s history to hold two titles from different weight divisions at the same time should he win. The bout with the Brazilian will be at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on March 5.
Fury’s Fight Picks agrees with the assessment made by Schaub, insisting that Dos Anjos at lightweight is a tougher fight for the Irishman than Lawler at welterweight:
Indeed, once again McGregor is the underdog coming into a fight. Last year in bouts against Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo plenty were unsure as to whether or not the Irishman could cope with the skills of these featherweight stars. But he left both sprawled on the canvas under the bright lights, cementing his status as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Now his eyes are fixed firmly on Dos Anjos, it would seem. Indeed, as we can see here, the featherweight champion has delivered a chilling message to his opponent in this trailer for the showpiece:
Should he get past the Brazilian, McGregor has expressed a desire to make a move up to welterweight too.
“So, why not go up?” was the champion’s response recently when asked about another potential move up in an interview with SevereMMA.com (h/t Ryan McKinnell of Yahoo). “They get slower and they get less free. They get stiffer. Even more stuck than the lightweight division.”
Lawler is the top man in that division, having taking the title in a gruelling triumph over Rory MacDonald last year, before getting the better of Carlos Condit in an equally entertaining battle last month. He’s a formidable champion and like the Irishman, a very fierce striker.
Although the prospect of McGregor getting inside the cage and facing Lawler looks a long way off yet, it’s something Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter doesn’t think should be ruled out:
Should the Irishman stick to his word then a showdown with Lawler at UFC 200 may well be on the cards. McGregor has shown a constant willingness to break new ground in the sport and given he’s abided by all of his comments to this point, should he get past Dos Anjos, a welterweight title shot would certainly be a fascinating watch.
It’d been naive to look past UFC 196, though, when McGregor faces the biggest test of his MMA career. Dos Anjos has proven himself to be a classy opponent in recent bouts and has the attributes to nullify the Irishman for spells in the fight. He’ll make sure making history is far from easy for McGregor to grasp.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
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