Conor McGregor: I'm still the featherweight champ

If you ask Conor McGregor, he is still is the UFC lightweight and featherweight champion of the world. As for that whole thing about him relinquishing the featherweight title? Complete rubbish.

McGregor spoke to Ireland’s RTE after receiving their award for Sports Person of the Year and said under no uncertain terms that he was never contacted about relinquishing the title he won by defeating Jose Aldo in 13 seconds last year.

“All I know is they’re trying to type onto keyboard and say, ‘We’re taking this belt, we’re taking that belt, we’re doing this, we’re doing that,’ ” said McGregor. “You ain’t doing nothing without contacting me first.”

The murky situation began when the UFC decided to elevate Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis to the UFC 206 main event and have them duel for the interim featherweight title after Daniel Cormier had to pull out of his light heavyweight fight with Anthony Johnson due to injury. In turn, the UFC announced that McGregor “relinquished” the featherweight title and promoted the previous interim champion, Jose Aldo, to full champion.

McGregor scoffed at the notion that he was no longer a two-weight world champion. He recently became the first fighter in the history of the UFC to hold world titles in two different weight divisions after scoring a second-round knockout against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to claim the lightweight title.

“I’m still the two-weight world champion,” McGregor said. “Make no mistake about that. They can say what they want, they can try and get phony belts and hand them out to people I’ve already destroyed. I mean, the current champion is a guy I KO’d in 13 seconds. The current interim champion is a guy I destroyed as well. Officially, I don’t care what nobody says. I am the two-weight world champion and that is that.”

After scoring the biggest victory of his career at UFC 205, McGregor announced that he was taking some time off as he was expecting his first child in early 2017. UFC president Dana White stated that the Irishman would be out for 10 months. That is also a situation where McGregor isn’t sure how White got his information.

“As far as a break, I don’t know,” McGregor said. “I know Dana has been on record, being like, ’10 months — he’s taking 10 months off.’ Where did you [get] 10 months?”

McGregor has been adamant that he have a sit down with the new owners of the UFC, WME-IMG, before he returns to the Octagon. The lightweight champion has gone on record to say that he wants an equity stake in the company.

“I’m weighing up my options,” McGregor said about his supposed time off. “But again, I expect that conversation. I expect them to fly that jet to me. Ari, Patrick, the new owners from WME-IMG, the guys that bought the UFC for $4 billion, I want to speak to them. I want to see what their plan is. Because right now I don’t know what nobody’s plan is.”

McGregor isn’t short of options when it comes to potential opponents. Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently the No. 1 contender to McGregor’s lightweight crown. The Irishman could also bump up to welterweight for a fight with current champion Tyron Woodley or he could decide to reclaim what is his at featherweight.

There’s also the distant possibility that a superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor takes place. The chances are slim to none, but that hasn’t stopped Mayweather from talking about it.

As a matter of fact, another person who wants a piece of McGregor for a third time, Nate Diaz, spent some FaceTime with Mayweather to discuss their common enemy.

“I seen what you did to him,” Mayweather said to Diaz in reference to Diaz submitting McGregor at UFC 196 in March. “I’m going to put the finishing touches on him.”

Whatever the future holds for McGregor, it’s sure to be a huge payday for “The Notorious.”