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Conor McGregor achieving another UFC title was unthinkable until Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria to become the new lightweight champion at UFC White House.
Gaethje is 37, like McGregor, and not only did he become the first fighter to win a lightweight championship while older than 35, but he did so at major plus odds. All but 8% of Tapology users picked Gaethje to lose his fight.
UFC’s next major event is UFC 329 in July, where McGregor returns for a rematch against Max Holloway, the last man to defeat Gaethje. A victory against ‘Blessed’ puts McGregor right in contention to fight for the lightweight belt.
GettyMax Holloway scored UFC’s ‘knockout of the century’ when he defeated Gaethje in the last second of their five-round BMF title fight at UFC 300
McGregor fights Holloway at welterweight, one weight class above Gaethje’s lightweight. Unless the promotion would set up McGregor vs. Islam Makhachev, ‘The Notorious’ would need to drop another 15 lbs to make lightweight championship weight.
His last fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021 was at lightweight, but it’s been five years since then, and McGregor was confirmed to have used performance-enhancing drugs during recovery from his broken tibia. In which case, the welterweight appearance could be a matter of necessity, rather than a choice.
GettyIslam Makhachev is the current UFC welterweight champion (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
The alternative would be to set up an inaugural championship fight in a new division. UFC has been in need of an in-between division for lightweight and welterweight, at 165 lbs. This is contingent on McGregor defeating Holloway, and it could be contested against Makhachev or Gaethje.
Makhachev was already waiting for the result of Topuria vs. Gaethje to see whether Topuria would move up to welterweight and challenge for triple-champion status. Now, he can wait for McGregor vs Holloway and either defend the welterweight throne or consider a potential 165-lb belt for triple-championship bragging rights—which two-division champion McGregor would also hold.
McGregor and Holloway head a 14-fight card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is subject to change.
The card features the debut of Gable Steveson. Notable prospects include Farid Basharat, Ethyn Ewing, Cong Wang, Luke Riley, Damian Pinas, and Lone’er Kavanagh. Three former UFC champions make appearances: Holloway, Cody Garbrandt, and Robert Whittaker, the latter of whom is making his light heavyweight debut against Nikita Krylov.
Mathew Riddle is a credentialed combat sports journalist with half a decade of writing experience for some of the sport's top publications. He previously covered MMA and Boxing for Sports Illustrated and Bloody Elbow, where his work garnered the attention of millions of combat sports fans. More about Mathew Riddle
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