A stuck in the mud division is how Conor McGregor described the landscape of 155lbs. Too stiff and too slow the Irishman said.
In September at UFC’s ‘Go Big’ press conference, ‘Mystic Mac’ made the bold prediction he would kill the rest of the featherweight division and then move up in weight to take aim at holding a second belt.
It was discarded as hyperbole at the time but just like his other forecasts – most notably declaring he would knockout Jose Aldo within two minutes – it has come to fruition.
There was, however, one part of the prophecy where he was wrong. Of all the fighters McGregor reduced to ash during that media conference, Rafael dos Anjos was perhaps the most memorable.
3 years ago today I made history by becoming a two-weight World Champion. I've been making history ever since. pic.twitter.com/ln7Hk56TrC
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 31, 2015“I can make you rich,” McGregor sang out into the microphone. “I’ll change your bum life. You fight me it’s a celebration. When you sign to fight me it’s a celebration. I’m the money fight.”
That little exchange between the featherweight and lightweight champions has created ample anticipation ahead of March 5’s UFC 197, should the super fight be confirmed by the promotion. And of course, he is right because the 145lbs king is the golden ticket.
Everyone knows it and that’s why Dos Anjos, Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar and even Max Holloway have called him out. But only the Brazilian has what McGregor wants: more gold.
In combat sports, very few angles sell as well as ‘Champion v Champion’ and many in the MMA world hope they get what everyone thought McGregor v Aldo would be.
“What can I say, it’s just another night of easy work for me,” McGregor says of UFC 197. But that’s where he is wrong, that’s where his September proclamations were spurious.
Look at Dos Anjos on paper. He too is a southpaw, equal in size to McGregor and a smothering pressure fighter with a strong stand-up. Crucially, RDA has a phenomenal ground game and solid wrestling. He represents everything someone would look for in a fighter to expose the holes in McGregor.
Since moving his family to California to train with the masterful Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA, Dos Anjos has gone 10-1. He’s looked flawless, well rounded, experienced and seemingly in his prime. His run includes knocking out Benson Henderson for the first time in his career in the opening round, destroying Nate Diaz’s legs for three rounds, picking apart Anthony Pettis for five rounds in a title whitewash and then demolishing Donald Cerrone in 66 seconds last month.
RDA is stuck in no mud that’s for sure and he could represent a sticking point for McGregor. It’s a huge risk for the promotion ahead of the summer’s blockbuster UFC 200 event.
But then consider this. What if McGregor is even better at lightweight? Much has been made of the brutal cut he makes from his walkaround weight of 175lbs down to 145lbs for featherweight. The lightweight division will be much closer to his natural weight and that will only benefit his endurance and most frighteningly his power. It feels like the next destination in McGregor’s takeover but the Brazilian is one tough place to drag a dictatorship through.
Yet that is the compelling aspect of this narrative. Nobody can tell McGregor what is possible right now. The plan for himself is devised in grandeur, displayed in public and lived through vicariously by detractors and fans alike. You have to admire the speed of his ascent and you have to admire his fortitude to take every fight that seems like a bad idea.
He wants to take everyone on and if you believe him, Frankie Edgar, the No/ 1 contender at featherweight will be next, next. That is McGregor, all he foresees in his future is going big.
Will McGregor’s power translate at lightweight?
“Nobody can take that left-hand” McGregor so proudly proclaims. While that shot is notorious it’s questionable if that’s still the case at 155lbs.
Can Dos Anjos get the fight to the ground?
Chad Mendes, a much smaller man than Dos Anjos, exploited McGregor’s vulnerability on the ground and that is a big advantage for the Brazilian.
Where does this leave the featherweight division?
It’s a win-win for McGregor. Lose to RDA and he still has the featherweight title to defend, most likely against Frankie Edgar at UFC 200.
