"It has been done in the past, will be done in the future"- Josh Thomson and John McCarthy give their take on Conor McGregor returning to a lightweight title fight
Recent reports suggest that Conor McGregor being thrust straight into a title fight upon his return to the Octagon is a huge possibility. In light of that, Josh Thomson and John McCarthy have had their say on the rumors.
"The Notorious" has had just one win in the sport since his short venture into boxing in 2017. While an instant title shot may seem absurd, it is a possibility considering his star power remains far above the entirety of the UFC roster.
Though they may not agree with how it's being handled, both hosts of the Weighing In podcast understand why McGregor's presence alone is enough to earn him a shot at the lightweight strap. Josh Thomson began by saying this:
"Look, they're going to insert him [Conor McGregor] wherever they can, wherever they want to make money."
In agreement, John McCarthy had his say on the matter:
"Sure, yeah. I don't blame them. I'm not going to sit here and whine about it. It's been done in the past, it's going to be done in the future, it's about making money and you can sit there and say, 'look at the rankings'... Let's just be honest because they don't give a s*** what the rankings are, they give a s*** about which fight is going to make money. And Conor makes money."
Watch Josh Thomson and John McCarthy talk about Conor McGregor and other MMA subjects in episode 232 of their Weighing In podcast, below.
Will we see Conor McGregor win a UFC championship in the future?
Without a doubt, regardless of the controversy outside of the Octagon, whether you love him or hate him, McGregor is still the most popular fighter in mixed martial arts.
The Irishman continues to be the UFC's biggest pay-per-view draw and this holds a lot of weight with the promotion despite his poor run of form inside the cage.
Conor has teased two trilogy fights with Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier and a potential move up to welterweight in hopes of capturing the belt in a third weightclass. But what seemingly interests him most is the idea of immediate lightweight title contention upon his recovery from injury.
After hearing Dana White's recent comments, Conor took to Twitter to reply.
Could @TheNotoriousMMA receive a title shot?👀
@danawhite says that @CharlesDoBronxs will have a say on who he defends the UFC lightweight title against🏆
(via The Underground) https://t.co/YvIw7owFKp
Really pumped for my next fight title fight!
It looks like both Dana White and Conor McGregor are locked in for this to happen. It all depends on what the lightweight title picture looks like once the 33-year-old is ready to compete.