"It's of no odds to me" - Conor McGregor understands why the lightweight belt is not on the line at UFC 257
Conor McGregor is not perturbed by the fact that his UFC 257 fight with Dustin Poirier is not for the 155 pounds belt.
Despite the reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov having announced his retirement, the lightweight belt has not been vacated. A large section of the MMA community had assumed that the title will be on the line in the fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, as it is the first top-level lightweight bout since Khabib's announcement of retirement. However, that has not been the case. Dana White has made it amply clear that the belt is still with Khabib and no one is fighting for it at UFC 257.
Conor McGregor recently talked with Oscar Willis of TheMacLife, and among other things, he discussed the fact that there is no belt at stake. The Irishman said that he would have liked it to be the case, but it does not make a difference to him that it is not. He is simply focused on the fight at hand and is trying to stay away from the politics of UFC.
Conor McGregor understands that there is a "situation" with Khabib's retirement not being a hundred percent certain. He himself is also returning after a year and does not expect Dana White to give him a title shot immediately.
"I feel it should be. I don't think Dana (White) is going to throw me a belt with the way the year went... The belts will come. I think maybe the next bout is fair. I would have to liked to see it this fight, but there were circumstances surrounding the man scurrying away to an extent. They have given him a bit of time. We'll see what happens. It's of no odds to me. I am not gonna get caught up in the politics of this business. I have in the past and it has hampered me. So, we focus on the bout ahead, and that's it." - said Conor McGregor.
Conor McGregor on Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement: I was not surprised to see him walk away
An interview with Conor McGregor is never complete without a mention of Khabib Nurmagomedov. With the lightweight champion having retired at the peak of his career and 'The Notorious' making a comeback to the 155 lbs. division, Conor McGregor addressed the matter.
He said that he was not surprised to see Khabib "scurry away" as it has been the way 'The Eagle' had approached fights all his career.
"How you could walk away at this stage is baffling to me but to each their own. There's so many amazing fights out there, you know. Even the carry on around the Tony situation, I don't care about nothing. You're scheduled to fight a man, no matter what. Fights must take place, you can't just scurry away from bouts. It's been the hallmark of his approach and you know, I was not surprised to see him walk away or scurry away, as I should say." - stated Conor MeGregor.