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Conor McGregor has a harsh warning for the featherweight division
Ultimate Fighting Championship

Conor McGregor has a harsh warning for the featherweight division

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:10 p.m. ET

Conor McGregor may be days away from fighting for the UFC lightweight title, but he just recently sent a not so subtle reminder to the featherweight division that he's still the king at 145 pounds.

McGregor conquered former champion Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds when they met last December while staking his claim as the best featherweight fighter in the world.

Of course, McGregor has heard rumors that he'll never be able to cut down to 145 pounds again and that's part of the reason why he's been competing outside the division for all of 2016. He's also received criticism for taking fights at welterweight and now at lightweight rather than coming back to 145 pounds to defend his title for the first time.

McGregor fired back at the featherweights when speaking to FOX Sports on the UFC 205 media conference call recently.

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"Wherever I choose to go, I'm prepared to go there. I feel great at this weight. I mean I'm a lot leaner, I'm still eating a hell of a lot of food. Obviously, it's tougher to get to featherweight, but I think it's crazy the way they say I can't get to featherweight no more or all these crazy things," McGregor said.

"Like I ain't the undisputed champion. Like I haven't gone in there and taken out the whole division as early as last year. December of last year that was. Not even a year ago. Then they're talking about stripping (the title) and vacating and all this stuff, it's like hold on a minute — what did I just go and do there? Didn't I just take out that division? Am I not champion?"

McGregor says instead of fighting Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 next weekend, he would have defended the featherweight belt against Frankie Edgar — if he could have gotten past Jose Aldo at UFC 200.

McGregor slammed Edgar, who is Alvarez's teammate, by saying that he blew his chance to main event the first ever UFC card at Madison Square Garden by losing a unanimous decision to Aldo at UFC 200.

"Frankie wasn't good enough or he should have been here. He wasn't good enough to cut it. Frankie's not good enough. Frankie's just not good enough, I'm afraid," McGregor said. "He just can't cut it but maybe I might choose him next. I might destroy you, hopefully he gets through this other guy then I might pick him next.

"But this should have been me and Frankie, we all know that. He just wasn't good enough to do what I did in 13 seconds. He had 50 minutes to do what I done in 13 seconds and he couldn't do it. So here I am and there he is on the prelims."

UFC president Dana White has insisted that with a win against Alvarez next weekend, McGregor will be forced to vacate one of his titles and move forward as either the lightweight or featherweight champion.

McGregor certainly doesn't sound like a guy ready to give up anything if he makes history by becoming the first ever simultaneous two division champion in the UFC.

"Vacate? We'll see about that. Why not defend them both? I fight every week. I can defend them both," McGregor said.

As much as McGregor says he's not done with the featherweight division yet, he might change his mind if he's successful in taking out Alvarez at UFC 205.

McGregor's coaches have raved about his performance in training ahead of the massive card in New York City and the outspoken Irishman seems to agree with them.  If you like what you saw out of McGregor at 145 pounds, he teases to just wait and see what he can do at lightweight.

"Wherever I sign, I'm going to fight, you best believe I'm going to show up and be prepared," McGregor said.

"145, I'm the world champion. I took out them all. I'm damn good at 145 and I'm even better at 155."

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