UFC Lightweight champion Conor McGregor has set a new UFC record for the longest amount of time before a maiden title defence.
It has now been 463 days since McGregor defeated former champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 on November 12, 2016.
McGregor’s 463 days eclipses the previous record held by former Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, who waited 462 days before defending his title against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181 after first winning the belt against Benson Henderson at UFC 164.
Pettis absence was largely down to a knee injury in the lead up to UFC on Fox 9 where he was expected to face Josh Thomson, whereas McGregor’s absence is largely down to his bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year, as well as his prolonged contract negotiations with the UFC.
UFC President Dana White addressed McGregor’s timetable for a return last month in an interview with Yahoo! Sports‘ Kevin Iole , where he said that the Dubliner is targeting an August return to the Octagon but that the decision to return to the sport is ultimately his decision.
“I love that matchup (against Nurmagomedov), but Tony Ferguson is the interim champion, and Conor and I haven’t really figured out when he’s coming back and what’s going on,” White said.
“So Conor has some big decisions to make here, really quick. If he waits — I don’t think Conor wants to fight until August, but if he waits until August or September, that’s around two years since the belt has been defended, and that can’t happen.
“This is game of time. Time is your enemy in this sport, or any other sport. When you’re a professional athlete, time is your enemy, and we can’t let this thing go on forever and not give other guys the opportunity.
“Tony Ferguson has been around for a long time and has earned his dues, Khabib has earned his dues, and the list goes on and on. So, Conor has done very well, he’s made a lot of money, and if he decides that he doesn’t want to fight again for another, however long, that’s up to him.
“That’s his choice and his decision. But the belt has to move on, so we’ve gotta figure some stuff out about him in the next couple of months.”
