Somebody in the marketing department of the UFC can expect an angry phonecall.
Conor McGregor is not a fan of the official fight poster for his next bout as he is pictured without his featherweight belt.
“That’s what I just noticed,” McGregor said at Wednesday night’s press conference. “Where is my damn belt?
“This is a super-fight. I look up at that poster, I see myself tucked in the back there. I see a guy whose last gate was 1.7 million. He (Rafael dos Anjos) fought on free TV. He’s never brought a dime to the company. He’s never made a dime yet he is sitting there on the front of my poster.”
The last time that a champion of a lower weight division went up to challenge at a higher weight class was at UFC 94 when lightweight champion BJ Penn was featured with his belt on his shoulder as he attempted to take Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight crown.
“I think that’s a department that needs to be looked at, somebody’s sleeping on the job,” McGregor continued. “This is a super-fight. Where are all these historic images?
“These are posters that will be looked back on long after it’s all said and done and then you’ve got to look at that absolute garbage.
“I think I might have to go into that department because they must be getting comfortable in the poster department. They’d want to get their act together and do their damn job.
“Posters are a significant part of the sport’s history. Look through the years at all the great historic posters that the UFC has produced. I feel someone’s sleeping on the job in that department and I will have to dip my nose, find out who and eliminate them.”
Reporters in Las Vegas asked Dana White if he’d like to comment on the decision.
“He’s challenging for the 155 lb belt,” White explained. “Everybody knows that!
“He’s challenging for this belt. His belt isn’t on the line. If he loses in this fight, he’s still the 145 lb champion.”
With the kind of pull that McGregor has in the UFC nowadays, don’t be surprised to see an overhaul of the posters before fight night.
