Conor McGregor’s high motivation is targeted at one division and one division only this time around: the lightweight division.
When Conor McGregor gets ambitious, it usually has to do with conquering multiple divisions. This time, his eyes are locked and loaded squarely at lightweight. This stint will kick off Saturday at UFC 257 when Conor takes on Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier in the main event. Who or what will come after that, nobody knows, but Mystic Mac predicts a run just as impressive at lightweight as the run he turned in at featherweight years ago.
“I would like to put a stint in at 155 pounds, for sure,” McGregor told The Mac Life. “I came into the UFC as a featherweight and I went through the division. I gave it my all in that division and I tore through it like a chainsaw through butter. Interim title, then unified title. Then, I went up and reached for greater heights, went to the lightweight division, became lightweight champion and became the first dual-weight champion in the company’s history.
“Then obviously other things presented themselves, the Floyd fight and where it went. Then I went to the welterweight division, also. I never got a good stint at 155 pounds, a consecutive stint like I’ve done in the featherweight division. I would like to do the same here in the lightweight division that I’ve done in the featherweight division – give it a good run and tear through the division. There’s many good competitors, good fighters, in there, and I feel levels above them all. So I would like to put that stint in.”
Conor McGregor had one of the best featherweight runs in the division’s history. He went undefeated in the division and turned in a run for the ages. In fact, six of McGregor’s seven victories at featherweight in the UFC were Performance of the Night bonuses.
This would be like if Justin Gaethje never lost at lightweight to go along with his bonuses, and then became world champion in his seventh UFC fight. But McGregor’s featherweight run is even more impressive than this scenario because his bonuses are all centered around him and not a competitive fight where he took damage.
Bringing Unfinished Business From 170 Down to 155
There’s no doubt that the younger Conor McGregor was a very hungry competitor, and that hunger seems to have returned. He is even hungry for leftovers, specifically closing out the trilogy with Nate Diaz in the lightweight division.
“There are dangling carrots … treasure chests that get presented to me,” McGregor said.. “We’ve got world titles in boxing now, there’s talks of … I hear Dana [White] talking [about] Nate Diaz coming back down to lightweight. I love that. I’d love to compete against Diaz. We will compete again. If that happens at lightweight for a title, that would be something special, also. So there’s many great options that are in the works and let’s see what happens. I am ready.”
What’s your prediction for how Conor McGregor’s lightweight stint will go?
