"Alex Pereira made 185" - Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping warn Conor McGregor against fighting in the middleweight division
Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping weighed in on the idea of Conor McGregor fighting in the middleweight division and issued a warning to the UFC star to steer clear of the division.
During a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast, Smith and Bisping shared their thoughts on how the Irishman would fare against larger opponents at 185lbs. 'Lionheart' mentioned that it would be a bad idea and described the size discrepancy between 'The Notorious' and some of the other top middleweights.
He said:
"Let's not forget Alex Pereira made 185 [lbs]. Those are the type of size men. I could make 185 [lbs] if I really had to...Conor's not fighting at 185 [lbs]. The size of du Plessis, that guy is huge...I don't care if it was however many years ago, if you fight at 145 [lbs], you're gonna have a tough time at 185 [lbs]." [1:08:03 - 1:08:33]
The UFC Hall of Famer chimed in and agreed with the former UFC title challenger that it wouldn't be wise for Conor McGregor to compete at middleweight. He mentioned why he believes the former two-division UFC champion is open to moving up another weight division, saying:
"Listen, everyone knows what I'm gonna say. He's out of his fu**ing mind, he's talking sh*t, he's too small for the division...Conor just always has to try to insert himself...He's the biggest star in the game...The fight with Michael Chandler, that's the one that needs to happen." [1:08:54 - 1:09:55]
It remains to be seen when Conor McGregor will make his UFC return as there has been plenty of speculation, especially after he completed his coaching duties on The Ultimate Fighter.
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Conor McGregor reacts to Sean Strickland's middleweight title win at UFC 293
Conor McGregor weighed in on Sean Strickland's unanimous decision win over Israel Adesanya to become the new middleweight champion this past weekend at UFC 293.
The former two-division UFC champion tweeted his reaction and shared his appreciation for the sport. He mentioned that Strickland and Adesanya are polar opposites and that it was an unlucky outing for 'Izzy', saying:
"The “spar only” method crowns the new ufc middleweight world champion. Well done Sean. Unlucky Izzy. Two quality operators as well as complete opposite characters facing off, where else would you get it. Incredible! What a sport. What a company! @ufc is King."