Conor McGregor isn’t moving to 170 pounds solely to face any one opponent.
He’s doing it for himself, McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) said in his first interview since his UFC 246 comeback was made official.
McGregor told “The MacLife” his shift to welterweight is for his own interests. However, he also likes some of the matchups the weight shift will open up potential for.
A potential matchup against “BMF” winner Jorge Masvidal interests McGregor, but so does a crack at the UFC welterweight title and its current owner, Kamaru Usman. Additionally, McGregor named Colby Covington as a potential opponent at 170 pounds.
“Yeah, I’d face Jorge,” McGregor said. “I’m not going to 170 just for Jorge. He hasn’t got really anything. I wasn’t really that happy how that ‘Bad Mother(expletive)’ thing ended. I think it’s unfinished. In my opinion, that bout is unfinished. It was only getting into a good bout. I believe we were robbed of Rounds 4 and 5 in that bout.
“But I like that welterweight title fight (at UFC 245). I’d like to look at that. I’d like to look at Kamaru Usman. I’d like to look at Colby. I’m open to it all at 170.”
Despite seemingly having become larger than MMA itself sometimes, McGregor is still enthralled by title belts. UFC president Dana White recently said McGregor wants a crack at Masvidal’s “BMF” title, but the Irishman said he prefers gold over silver.
“That ‘Bad Mother(expletive)’ belt is a silver one,” McGregor said. “(The ‘BMF’ title) is not the best looking one, right? I don’t really care about that one. I want the gold. I’m after the gold, 155 (or) 170. They’re the belts I’m chasing now.”
How does McGregor think he’ll stack up against the upper echelon of the UFC’s welterweight division? The former dual champion thinks revamped commitment to his craft will be what he needs to make an impact.
“A lot of people forget about my skill base,” McGregor said. “I’m going to go in there and remind them. I don’t feel these people are my level when I’m committed. I have not been committed in a while, up until about a year ago (when) I really started committing myself. I look forward to going back and showcasing my skills to the people.”
McGregor returns to action at UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone in the welterweight main event. UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Conor McGregor prefers UFC titles over 'BMF,' looking at Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal and more
