Conor McGregor will be no way near the UFC 216 event on Oct 7. The T Mobile Arena, where he and Mayweather made history, will still be under his shadow.
As the ‘The Notorious one’ still enjoys his time off. UFC contenders Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee will be fighting for an interim title.
With no certain date for McGregor’s return. The UFC is forced to showcase a fight that will determine the no.1 contender for McGregor’s title.
UFC 216 and Conor McGregor
Even though the Ferguson vs Lee has an interim title as a reward, it’s still not certain if the winner of the match will get a shot at McGregor’s championship.
It depends on Conor.
If he decided to leave the lightweight division for more lucrative fights, then the interim title could become the real championship.
But if he stays in the MMA weight class, then whoever wins will have to wait to face him.
McGregor could choose to go for the most lucrative fight instead of fighting the no.1 contender. That could put all the UFC rankings in jeopardy.
The Fighters know it too
The shadow of McGregor also looms large over the fighters.
But Lee seems to be shrugging it off.
In the UFC 216 media event he let his feelings out about McGregor. Lee thinks that McGregor needs to prove himself when he returns to the UFC.
Ferguson also thinks that Conor should either vacate the title or defend it against him or Lee, whoever wins the main event in Las Vegas.
Conor is happy to wait and keep other fighters wait as well. He is the champ and he is the most marketable fighter that UFC has, giving him leverage.
All of this will have to be worked out after the winner is crowned at UFC 216.
So tune into the event on Sat night and see who McGregor’s future potential opponent will be.
