Online sportsbooks may still be recovering from this weekend’s action at UFC 202 but that isn’t stopping fans from looking forward to the next chapter in the McGregor-Diaz trilogy. The world may be ready to see the next rematch scheduled as soon as possible but it seems the UFC has some other plans in mind. Even before the fight was held at the 202 pre-fight press conference Dana White was adamant about McGregor having to defend his Featherweight title in his next bout. That fight would most likely be against Jose Aldo, but unfortunately for him, McGregor doesn’t seem overly excited about facing Aldo.
“He stepped in and I beat him in 13 seconds,” McGregor explained at the UFC 202 post-fight press conference. “It’s hard for me to get excited about that. Especially after his last performance.”
McGregor faced Aldo at UFC 194 and was able to claim the Featherweight title in the blink of an eye. After this loss Aldo would go on to face Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship. This fight is the bout McGregor references in his comment, and he is being critical of Aldo winning by decision. McGregor stated that he wanted Aldo to “go out and get it” instead of playing it safe. Even though Dana White has threatened to strip McGregor of his title if he doesn’t face Aldo next, it would seem McGregor is preparing to give online sportsbooks a different bout.
“There’s a lot of options,” McGregor stated backstage after 202. “Some might not be this sport.”
McGregor isn’t taking White’s comments too seriously because he’s confident the UFC wouldn’t hand the title to a man he knocked out in 13 seconds. McGregor is also confident his status in the media will keep the title safely in his possession. It may be true that McGregor took the UFC to another level, but it’s even truer that it’s not fair for the division for the champion to not be fighting. After all the best betting websites want to be throwing lines together for title matches, not interim title fights.
There’s a lot of uncertainty regarding McGregor’s next move but there are two certainties at this point. The first is that McGregor will more than likely not fight again in 2016, due to a medical suspension McGregor received from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The minimum suspension lasts until October 20th and McGregor is banned from having contact training until the 5th of October. If the Irishman is looking to step back into the octagon before February 2017 then he must have his foot/ankle cleared by a doctor. The second thing fans can be certain of is that McGregor will be shredding some lbs.
“I’m gonna go back down in weight,” McGregor stated confidently at the 202 post-fight press conference. “I’m the 145 lb. champion. The 155 lb. is there. When I fight Nate again, it’ll be at 155 lbs. It’ll be on my terms this time.”
McGregor’s comments show that he isn’t afraid of taking unorthodox steps in the future, especially his comments about there being no shortage of options. Whatever directions ‘Notorious’ takes online sportsbooks can be confident that it will lead to an auspicious event.
