Conor McGregor: Time to Defend His Title

First things first this week. I have to take my hat off to Conor McGregor and eat a plate of crow. Did I doubt he could get it done and beat Nate Diaz in their rematch? Yes I did. Granted, it was still a close fight, with one judge scoring it a draw. Plenty of Diaz fans felt Diaz won the fight, even though I and Robert Winfree scored the bout for Conor McGregor. It was one of those close fights. However, McGregor went all five rounds and walked away with a win. So he gets his pride back and he gets his moral victory over Nate Diaz. He proved whatever it was he was trying to prove, even though it was foolish to have the fight again at welterweight fighting a longtime UFC lightweight. But all that has been said and done. McGregor had his two super-fights that were up two weight classes. The problem? He’s the UFC featherweight champion, and he’s yet to defend that title. Now it’s time to poop or get off the proverbial pot as it were. McGregor can’t continue to carry around a belt and represent and lord over a division he refuses to fight at anymore. He’s the featherweight champion, and it’s time for him to start acting like it. So he needs to defend his title or be willing to relinquish it if he’s not going to fight at featherweight again.

Originally, fighting up for McGregor made sense. It was being done because he was the featherweight champion set up to fight the lightweight champion. If things worked out for McGregor, he likely would’ve won the lightweight belt and then left featherweight in the dust. But then lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos got injured. So enter Nate Diaz taking the fight on short notice and winning the upset. Then of all the fights to take, McGregor opted for a welterweight rematch for McGregor. So all that talk of him winning two belts is long gone. Now McGregor’s had two experimental fights at welterweight, while the competition at featherweight continues to mount up. He’s essentially putting the entire division on hold to accommodate his whims. That has to stop at some point.

The problem is that at his post-fight press conference, McGregor was talking down a potential rematch with the interim featherweight champion Jose Aldo, a man McGregor knocked out in 13 seconds. He also talked down UFC having him vacate the belt and naming Aldo the new champion as it would bury the division. Well you know what else buries the division? The fact that the champion holds the belt and is all but avoiding to defend it at all costs. Maybe Aldo lost in 13 seconds, but by decisively beating Frankie Edgar he arguably earned a rematch. That happens in the sport sometimes. A man who definitely earned his shot is freaking Max Holloway. He’s gone 9-0 in the UFC without a single title shot. But guess what else? he lost to Conor McGregor too. Should Max Holloway be denied a shot in perpetuity because at one point earlier in his career he lost a decision to McGregor? Max Holloway has more than proven himself as an elite talent. He looks like a completely different fighter right now. He doesn’t look like the guy who got dominated by McGregor several years ago.

Now part of this is UFC’s own fault. On some level, they’ve created a bit of a monster with McGregor, and now they have to deal with those results. My problem is that in McGregor’s situation, it’s a bit like the inmates running the asylum. The UFC has basically let McGregor do whatever he wants and call all his own shots. That resulted in the disagreements that led to McGregor vs. Diaz II being pulled from UFC 200 over the media obligations. And you know what? Conor McGregor might very well be one of the biggest superstars and draws this sport has ever seen. He’s fun to watch. He’s exciting. He attracts buzz and interest to this sport unlike any other. However, even if he is all those things, it doesn’t mean he gets to call the shots. Even if MMA started becoming unionized and fighters had collective bargaining and union representation, I don’t think they should essentially be allowed to fight whoever they want and say they want to fight, sort of like Tyron Woodley is angling to do right now.

Based on Dana White’s own statements, McGregor has two options right now. He can move back down and defend his title. If he refuses to fight Aldo, then he should be willing to fight Holloway. But another problem is that McGregor looks absolutely terrible and close to death when he cuts down to 145 pounds. It’s a terrible weight cut for him. So if he can’t make that weight anymore, it’s time for him to relinquish the title, so that division can move on. Maybe it buries the division, but the division isn’t served by letting him carry around the belt to stroke his ego and say he’s the champion without ever defending it against the top-ranked contenders. If he wants to fight for the lightweight title and be a lightweight, then he should fight at lightweight. It’s that simple.

Jeffrey Harris is 411mania’s resident Jack of All Trades and has covered MMA for the site since 2008. You can shoot him an e-mail at [email protected] or hit him up on Facebook.