By JOSH VESHIA
Staff Writer
Conor McGregor will be facing off against Rafael dos Anjos on Saturday, March 5 in the main event of UFC 197. The fight will be for the UFC Lightweight Championship, a title dos Anjos has held since March of last year.
McGregor is coming off a 13 second knockout of the former number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Jose Aldo at UFC 194. This victory gave McGregor the Featherweight Championship and solidified a truly special year for the Irishman.
In moving up 10 pounds to the Lightweight division, McGregor has shown that he is willing to take on any challenge and is a man on a mission.
It was unclear what the next move would be following a dominating win over Aldo in perhaps the most anticipated fight in the history of the UFC. It was thought by many that McGregor would defend the title against Frankie Edgar after Edgar was able to defeat Chad Mendes in a first round knockout. Edgar is currently the second ranked contender for the Featherweight title behind the former champion Aldo.
No matter what route McGregor ultimately decided to pursue, the fans would be tuning in.
At 27, Conor McGregor has risen to superstar status and has drawn huge numbers for each of his fights last year. His combination of grace and precision inside the octagon seem like nothing compared to his abilities with a microphone in his hand. He is relentless in his verbal attacks as shown throughout his career and particularly in the weeks leading up to his last fight.
During the entire media campaign for UFC 194, McGregor backed down from no one and made sure his opponent knew he was there and was coming for the title.
One press conference showcased McGregor reaching to the opposite end of the table to grab Aldo’s belt and hoist it in the air as if to show possession. A later press conference was highlighted by McGregor verbally taking on several of the other fighters who would be fighting around the same date he was. He went back in forth with Chad Mendes (whom he defeated via knockout at UFC 189 for the interim championship), Lightweight challenger Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and even Cerrone’s opponent, Rafael dos Anjos.
Conversation was brought up about the differences between the two weight classes each man was fighting in. McGregor made mention of how weak he believed the striking was in the Featherweight division and how slow the competitors in the Lightweight division were. He referenced the Lightweight division as being the “stuck in the mud division”.
Dos Anjos talked about his focus remaining on his fight against Cerrone but also said a future fight against McGregor would be “easy money”.
McGregor’s response was aimed at his rising celebrity status and how any fight against him would mean “red panty night at home “ for his opponent with the money involved in his fights being higher than those against other fighters. This again shines light on McGregor’s ability to entertain while expressing his thoughts. But it also holds some truth. Any signed fight against the Irish fight star at this point in his career is sure to draw huge numbers just as those last year did.
With McGregor presenting a point true to at least some degree, it begs the question: Is what dos Anjos said also true? Is McGregor in trouble by going up a weight class?
There generally seems to be differences between the two weight classes as you look at the fighters in each. For instance, Lightweight fighters tend to be taller thus enjoying a longer reach advantage. For dos Anjos, this will not be the case.
Both fighters are listed as 5’9” with McGregor having the three inch reach advantage at 74 inches.
McGregor has expressed his displeasure with the cutting of the weight in the weeks before an event. As most fighters do, he walks around at a weight higher than that of his fight weight with his being around 185 pounds. A fight at Lightweight (155 lbs.) as opposed to Featherweight (145 lbs.) would mean less weight cutting. What effects that might have on his fighting style remains to be seen, but it will without question make the process much easier.
Before entering the UFC two years ago, McGregor was a champion in Ireland in both weight classes – Featherweight and Lightweight – at the same time. In winning against dos Anjos and also capturing the Lightweight championship, he would be the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles at different weight classes simultaneously.
He would also be only the third fighter in UFC history to hold titles at different weight classes all together, the other two being UFC legends BJ Penn and Randy Couture.
A loss to dos Anjos would not affect his status as Featherweight champion. It would however affect the uphill journey McGregor has been on since his emergence in the UFC.
The attention the UFC has drawn from having a fighter like Conor McGregor has never been seen before. Whether one finds his antics over-the-top and obnoxious or they enjoy the entertainment, you can’t deny the impact McGregor has on the sport as a whole. People have tuned in to see whether or not the hours of trash talk leading up to a fight come true, as they have every fight thus far.
With Ronda Rousey losing last year to Holly Holm who will be fighting in the co-main event at UFC 197, a McGregor loss could be a huge setback for the company. Rousey had worked her way up to perhaps the most recognized name in the sport before being knocked out by a viscous head kick.
A win from McGregor would make him one of the best to ever compete. As the next few months unfold and the trash talk flies, fans will continue to hang on the edge of their seats watching the next chapter unfold for “The Notorious” Conor McGregor.
