Dana White: Conor must defend the title by March or be stripped

[sooby]

https://www.mmamania.com/2018/1/4/16...htweight-title

March is fairly soon, so we could possibly be hearing some news soon about whether or not Conor is going to fight or not. Only 8-12 weeks till the end of March. It would likely be a UFC 223. But it seems to be fairly soon for a fight so I can see the title being stripped.

Which would technically mean that Tony would be the champion of the LW and that a bout with Khabib would have to be set up (for a 4th time ..... sighhhhh).

But at this point can we really trust Dana with anything he says, but I think he will actually strip Conor of the title if he doesn't fight by then.

[HipHopLyrics]

Strip Conor if he doesn't defend. Don't 'elevate' Tony to champion because that's just corny.

Tony vs Khabib for vacant LW title.

If Conor does fight it has to be with Tony to get rid of that interim ****, then have Khabib fight the winner.

[PeaceWithin]

IN

[sooby]

Strip Conor if he doesn't defend. Don't 'elevate' Tony to champion because that's just corny.

Tony vs Khabib for vacant LW title.

If Conor does fight it has to be with Tony to get rid of that interim ****, then have Khabib fight the winner.

Agreed but usually if you are an interim belt holder and the champion vacates you are promoted to champion, i.e Robert Whittaker and Jose Aldo and that fight for the interim belt was technically the championship fight.

[cgc]

If I were Conor, I'd retire. As much money has he's made - whats the point? He came in, made everyone look stupid, made a crap load of money, laughed all the way to the bank...yeah, I'd be done.

[anonymous]

Conor acts so hard on social media bragging that he has two belts, yet never had a title defense lel, he might as well retire now and retire a legend instead of risking getting KO'd and exposed for the 1D fighter he is

[xtrah]

[Walksnlifts]

If I were Conor, I'd retire. As much money has he's made - whats the point? He came in, made everyone look stupid, made a crap load of money, laughed all the way to the bank...yeah, I'd be done.

Everyone except nate twice

[PepperedAngus]

If I were Conor, I'd retire. As much money has he's made - whats the point? He came in, made everyone look stupid, made a crap load of money, laughed all the way to the bank...yeah, I'd be done.

yep.

The only thing Conor is coming back for is if they give him an actual slice of the company and promotion. Even at 20-25 million he is probably undervalued to take a fight at this point with how much money he makes them.

[Barteh]

If I were Conor, I'd retire. As much money has he's made - whats the point? He came in, made everyone look stupid, made a crap load of money, laughed all the way to the bank...yeah, I'd be done.

Especially with the possible fights left for him. Woodley, GSP, Tony or Khabib? Those are all some damn good fighters.

[Gainzzz]

b..but Dana will protect Conor at all costs and he will n..never piss off his m..money maker

[homersexual]

Why would Conor fight for Dana White for peanuts when he can keep setting up exhibition boxing matches for $10-$20 million? His legacy in MMA is sealed already.

[441Forty]

If I were Conor, I'd retire. As much money has he's made - whats the point? He came in, made everyone look stupid, made a crap load of money, laughed all the way to the bank...yeah, I'd be done.

Too much money to be made, for both Conor and the UFC. Even if it's the Nate rubber match, both parties have too much to gain imo

[PeaceWithin]

Made for your lulz and enjoyment:

[cgc]

Everyone except nate twice

Nate took one, Conor the other. Like it or not, that;s the fact. Conor said he would beat him and he did. Now, I'll agree with you saying they were both good fights and Conor didn't tool Nate as bad as the others. But he did what he said he was going to do.

Conor acts so hard on social media bragging that he has two belts, yet never had a title defense lel, he might as well retire now and retire a legend instead of risking getting KO'd and exposed for the 1D fighter he is

I've never understood this whole "You're not the champion until you defend the title". If you beat the champ, you are the champ. Would I have liked to see Conor defend the belts more than he has? Sure....but he's the champ.

Too much money to be made, for both Conor and the UFC. Even if it's the Nate rubber match, both parties have too much to gain imo

For me (and this is just my opinion), if I'm worth more than I can spend and I have enough to leave my kids well off....I'm good.

[PepperedAngus]

I've never understood this whole "You're not the champion until you defend the title". If you beat the champ, you are the champ. Would I have liked to see Conor defend the belts more than he has? Sure....but he's the champ.

I find this to be ultimately true as well.

And stripping of a title doesnt make someone not a champ, technically its the UFCs belt and they can do whatever, but he won those legitimately by beating their champions, and no one beat him to take them away...soo.. he can always basically claim to be the linear champion of those belts, even if they choose to strip him on paper and someone else gets to wear the belt in pressers.

So hes got the leverage imo because hes not a paper champion in any of the divisions he holds/held the title for, so no matter what the UFC says, GSP for instance could come back tomorrow and claim to be the true welterweight champ, and as far as Im concerned, hes right. And you know damn well the guy holding the paper belt wants to prove hes the undisputed champ by beating Conor/GSP even if its 10 years down the road and they have had the belt the whole time the other guy is out.

Beating the true champ is really the only way to be the undisputed champ, so Conor still holds the cards.

[hardestgainer]

Nate took one, Conor the other. Like it or not, that;s the fact. Conor said he would beat him and he did. Now, I'll agree with you saying they were both good fights and Conor didn't tool Nate as bad as the others. But he did what he said he was going to do.

Except in the fight he "won", Nate broke the record for strikes landed in a single match lol (a record he already held from when he obliterated Cerrone).


Only person Conor will fight at this point is Nate for a trilogy, it maximizes his payday and he still views him as the least threatening of the three. He isnt fighting Tony (though I think he could catch him and finish), and sure as fuk will never even consider a fight against Khabib.

[Gomi]

Conor acts so hard on social media bragging that he has two belts, yet never had a title defense lel, he might as well retire now and retire a legend instead of risking getting KO'd and exposed for the 1D fighter he is

Lol he won't retire a legend. He'll just be another fighter that got what he wanted and avoided every fighter that was a bad stye matchup for him. It's impossible to be a GOAT by never defending a single title in any org he's fought in. This guy was basically the better fighter THAT NIGHT.

[skinnyfat88]

In before Conor wants a money fight with GSP and Dana backtracks on his word that he would not have that fight happening.

[RoccoTanno123]

I don't believe Dana because lol it's Dana White. Seems like a negotiating tactic. But it's possible if the UFC hasn't booked Conor for a title fight BY the end of march that they'd strip him, since that's about a year and a half since he's fought. But if Conor agrees to come back in May (the current rumor is he wants August), then I doubt the ufc would strip him. It'd give some storyline to if he came back and fought for the title he was stripped of, but I don't think the ufc wants to be put in a showtime-esque position for that next Conor fight.

I've never understood this whole "You're not the champion until you defend the title". If you beat the champ, you are the champ. Would I have liked to see Conor defend the belts more than he has? Sure....but he's the champ.

That's true. It's just an old pro-wreslting marketing thing. But is Conor the best lightweight? If Ferguson or Khabib fight each other first, arguably we've gone past the Whitaker and Bisping situation, where it was obvious who the better fighter was, despite the "interim" tag seemingly making them a second tier champ.

[RoccoTanno123]

Lol he won't retire a legend. He'll just be another fighter that got what he wanted and avoided every fighter that was a bad stye matchup for him. It's impossible to be a GOAT by never defending a single title in any org he's fought in. This guy was basically the better fighter THAT NIGHT.

He's clearly a legend. He's one of only a few guys to win a title in 2 UFC divisions, and he's the biggest box office attraction the UFC has ever seen. If a guy like Brock Lesnar is a ufc legend, then Conor McGregor certainly is.

I don't buy that Conor is an avoider/ducker. He took the Mendez fight, which wasn't exactly a favorable match-up. Nate Diaz isn't a good match-up based on Conor's style, but he's fought him, and demanding the 2nd fight also be at 170 didn't make much sense, if he was trying to pull a Floyd Mayweather type advantage game. Conor certainly chased after the FW GOAT Jose Aldo. Poirer was a tough fight at the time. And considering Eddie Alavarez, while he's not a guy you'd probably pick if you had to pick 1 guy to fight at LW to save your life, he's quite possibily the most accomplished LW of all-time if you really look at his whole career and all the wins he's racked up at 155.

[RoccoTanno123]

In before Conor wants a money fight with GSP and Dana backtracks on his word that he would not have that fight happening.

I could see that. Dana seems to have this weird issue with GSP, which has gone back awhile and I'm sure he's not happy right now, but he doesn't call the shots. And that's the biggest box office fight. Endeavor surely knows that.

Strip Conor if he doesn't defend. Don't 'elevate' Tony to champion because that's just corny.

Corny? What's the point of the interim title if you strip the lineal champ, and the interim title holder doesn't get the title? That just makes the interim title more worthless. It wasn't corny when Cruz was stripped and Barao was promoted. And it's unfortunate for Robert Whitaker, but it's not corny at all that he's the current MW champion.

[MinisterOfLust]

Dana White is a troll.

[headinahole]

If I were Conor, I'd retire. As much money has he's made - whats the point? He came in, made everyone look stupid, made a crap load of money, laughed all the way to the bank...yeah, I'd be done.

He spends like 250k/day and will have child support payments in a year or so.


He can't

[Burgerbuger]

If I were Conor, I'd retire. As much money has he's made - whats the point? He came in, made everyone look stupid, made a crap load of money, laughed all the way to the bank...yeah, I'd be done.

It isn't that easy, it's a lifestyle and mindset. To be big you must think big.

Conor Mcgregor has a taste of money and fame now. It's going to be hard for one to drop that lifestyle after tasting it.

Besides, MMA is a huge part of his life. They live it and breathe it day in and day out. That hungry to compete rarely goes away.

[HipHopLyrics]

I could see that. Dana seems to have this weird issue with GSP, which has gone back awhile and I'm sure he's not happy right now, but he doesn't call the shots. And that's the biggest box office fight. Endeavor surely knows that.



Corny? What's the point of the interim title if you strip the lineal champ, and the interim title holder doesn't get the title? That just makes the interim title more worthless. It wasn't corny when Cruz was stripped and Barao was promoted. And it's unfortunate for Robert Whitaker, but it's not corny at all that he's the current MW champion.

Just leave it vacant and have it won in the cage, rather than given to someone without officially fighting for it. It just sounds better than having someone promoted to champion.

[Groce]

Don't believe his lies.

[Groce]

Why would Conor fight for Dana White for peanuts when he can keep setting up exhibition boxing matches for $10-$20 million? His legacy in MMA is sealed already.

He's under contract with the UFC, he can only box again if they allow him to.

[RoccoTanno123]

Just leave it vacant and have it won in the cage, rather than given to someone without officially fighting for it. It just sounds better than having someone promoted to champion.

I'd agree with this....if there wasn't already a champion--see Tony Ferguson. Sidebar: I know it's 2 ownerships ago, but I personally thought what the UFC did after Barnett was stripped was better than just retroactively giving the title back to Couture. That's what I'd have done with Cormier's situation after Jones' suspension.

He's under contract with the UFC, he can only box again if they allow him to.

Or he wins a legal fight.

[Jburn]

He got scooted to the front of the line via hype

Never ran through a single division, never defended the belts that were handed to him

Just lol