Conor McGregor wants to fight Robbie Lawler. Do you think anyone would watch that?
McGregor, who is the UFC featherweight champion, faces UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196 for the lightweight belt. But that apparently doesn't mean he can't (or doesn't) covet even more hardware: Lawler's welterweight title.
That's according to John Kavanagh, McGregor's coach at SBG Ireland in Dublin, who wrote about the fight in his column for Irish sports website The 42:
Speaking of welterweights, I’ve seen that rumours of Conor fighting Robbie Lawler for the 170lbs belt at UFC 200 on 9 July have been gathering momentum. It’s not something we have discussed specifically but after Conor wins the lightweight belt, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the next fight is for the welterweight belt.
If that’s what Conor wants to do, I’ll absolutely support that move. I think that would be fantastic. We’re already talking about making history in a few weeks, but can you imagine what it will be like if Conor is the champion in three weight classes by the summer?
It's hard not to be tantalized by the possibility. The 27-year-old McGregor (19-2) is arguably the biggest star in MMA today and certainly its biggest active star outside Ronda Rousey. Since joining the UFC in 2013, McGregor is 7-0 with six knockouts. Last July, he knocked out Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title. In December, he knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to become the lineal belt-holder.
I'm happy to announce that I have inducted myself into the UFC hall of fame.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 1, 2016
Details of event to follow.
Not content to rest on his metaphorical laurels, McGregor then challenged dos Anjos for the next belt up. The 31-year-old dos Anjos (25-7) would appear to be one of the toughest outs in the UFC right now in any weight class, currently on a five-fight win streak that includes victories over Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis.
Plainly, McGregor relishes a challenge, and he'll have one at UFC 196. And that's to say nothing of Lawler.
The 33-year-old welterweight champ is on a five-fight win streak of his own. Most recently, Lawler (27-10-1) got the best of Carlos Condit in a razor-close split-decision win. Lawler has 20 career victories by knockout.
If his coach is any indication, McGregor and company appear to be OK with eyeing multiple challenges at once.
"Conor has a sort of unusual body type in that even though he can make featherweight, he’s still a very big lightweight," Kavanagh said in his column. "Given some time, as well as a bit of strength and conditioning work, he could also be a force at welterweight. This is an interesting time."
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