UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has unveiled he was willing to throw down with Frankie Edgar to save UFC 222.
After staying mostly out of the limelight since ‘The Money Fight’ in boxing last year against Floyd Mayweather, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has finally directly indicated he’s ready for a return to the UFC octagon. And to the surprise of many, the UFC champion (who may or may not be stripped of his lightweight title) says he offered to step up at UFC 222 to save the card. When Max Holloway dropped off due to injury, ‘The Notorious’ McGregor was apparently willing to cut to 145lbs one more time to face Frankie Edgar.
McGregor made the comments on social media Thursday. In a post to Instagram, the man who is unquestionably the UFC’s biggest star wrote:
I am fighting again. Period. I am the best at this. I put my name forward to step in at UFC 222 to face Frankie Edgar when Max Holloway pulled out, but I was told there wasn’t enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need. I was excited about bouncing in last minute and taking out the final featherweight, without all the rest of the stuff that comes with this game. Please respect the insane amount of work outside the fight game that I have put in. On top of the fighting. I am here. It is on them to come and get me. Because I am here. Yours sincerely, The Champ Champ™
While McGregor has his share of detractors, many of whom are shocked that the UFC has flip-flopped on stripping him of his undefended lightweight title, the Irish star stepping up on short notice is far from unheard of. McGregor in the past has shown that he has no issues with opponent changes at the eleventh hour, fighting both Chad Mendes and Nate Diaz when originally scheduled opponents Jose Aldo and Rafael dos Anjos fell through.
McGregor has not fought in the UFC since November 2016 at UFC 205, when he captured the lightweight championship.
Now, however, the question becomes: what to do with McGregor’s lightweight title when the champion is openly stating he’s ready to come back? The UFC has flirted with the idea of stripping him of a second title but has thus far refused to commit. Dana White recently made comments to TMZ that the fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov would be for the “real” belt. However the promotion has yet to make any announcement, and still lists Ferguson as the interim champion at lightweight.
