Conor McGregor: 'Let me hold two belts before we talk about stripping me'


Conor McGregor wants nothing to do with this talk of him deciding which UFC belts he wants to keep if he emerges victorious against Eddie Alavarez at UFC 205
When UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor steps into Octagon against lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, he will look to become the first fighter to hold two titles simultaneously in two separate weight classes.
McGregor (20-3) most recently walked away with bloody majority decision after 25-minutes of hard-fought action against Nate Diaz (19-11) at UFC 202. This avenged his previous loss to Diaz, who claimed victory with a second round submission in their initial bout at UFC 196 in March.
Alvarez (28-4), also a former Bellator champion, earned his 155-pound title after finishing then-champion Rafael dos Anjos with strikes in the first round at UFC Fight Night 90.
While UFC President Dana White initially stated McGregor would be forced to give up his 145-pound if he challenged Alvarez, he would later backtrack and reveal the Irishman would indeed be allowed to keep his belt.
But now, according to White, if his featherweight champion emerges victorious, he will have a difficult decision to make.
“If he wins [against Alvarez], he’ll hold two belts, and then he’ll decide which one he’s going to give back to me,” White said during an appearance on UFC Tonight.
McGregor, however, wants nothing to do with this premature talk of his deciding which belts he wants to keep.
“Let me see the pictures on publications with a belt on each shoulder first,” he recently told Sports Illustrated by phone. “Let me go onto the side of that Octagon and raise two world titles, what’s never been done before, before talking about stripping me. Let me get the f—— things, let me do it.
“I’ll always listen to the correct business move and I’ll always do what is the correct move,” he added, “But let me do it and let me go back and look at some pictures of me with two belts and let me embrace it for half-a-day.”
While the argument over whether it’s fair for McGregor to essentially hold up the featherweight division as he looks to make history has been a hot topic amongst fans and pundits, McGregor was quick to lash out at the media for stirring the pot amongst his fellow fighters.
“It’s the media that’s making this,” he said. “Let me look at the historic images we’re going to get on this night, me with these two belts. That’s what everyone should be excited about, this is history.
“Everyone wants to see you do good, but not better than them. That’s what’s happening here. I’m just looking forward to raising the belts, and doing what has not been done before. Don’t be trying to take away the historic moment before I’ve even experienced it.”
UFC 205 will go down on November 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This historic event will mark the UFC’s first event in New York.
Here is how the rest of the card is shaping up:
More from FanSided
This article originally appeared on
