When Tyron Woodley had to lend his belt to Conor McGregor after the Irishman won the lightweight title at UFC 205
Conor McGregor’s UFC lightweight title-winning performance came in a ‘champion vs. champion’ super-fight at UFC 205 on November 12, 2016.
Then-UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor defeated then-UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez via a second-round TKO in a lightweight bout. Alvarez’s title was at stake, with McGregor winning and capturing 155-pound gold at the event.
However, Conor McGregor was presented with just one UFC title belt after the fight. McGregor then sounded off on the UFC staff for not presenting him with his second belt. Thankfully, they eventually managed to bring him a second championship.
During the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White suggested that Conor McGregor hadn’t brought his UFC featherweight belt to the event. White stated:
“Just for the record: I’m not supposed to bring his (Conor McGregor’s) belt. He’s supposed to bring his belt, right? He’s yelling at me ‘cause I don’t have his belt. I’m like, ‘No. You’re supposed to bring your belt. And I give you the new belt’. So, we went back there, and Tyron Woodley gave us his belt.”
White added that Tyron Woodley, the then-UFC welterweight champion, was given his belt back after Woodley let Conor McGregor "borrow” it.
'The Chosen One' indicated that the majority of fans in attendance at the pay-per-view were there to watch Conor McGregor. The 39-year-old explained that he was simply being a professional and didn’t want to turn the crowd against him by refusing to lend his belt to McGregor.
As for Conor McGregor, he emphasized that taking Tyron Woodley’s UFC welterweight title belt could be “a sign of things to come.” McGregor alluded to potentially challenging Woodley and beating him for the UFC welterweight title down the line, something that never came to fruition.
Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul and Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 4
Tyron Woodley is on a four-fight losing streak in his MMA career. He was released from the UFC earlier this year.
Woodley is set to make his professional boxing debut against YouTube megastar Jake Paul in a cruiserweight bout on August 29.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is recovering from a leg injury. The Irishman has vowed to avenge his recent losses against arch-rival Dustin Poirier in their lightweight bouts this year.
McGregor is expected to return to the octagon in 2022 for a possible fourth fight against Poirier.