The UFC would have missed the boat on milking a legitimate superfight had it not been for Conor McGregor’s complaints.
You don’t need us to tell you that Conor McGregor fighting Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight belt is a really big deal. If he manages to beat the Brazilian, he will become the first fighter to simultaneously hold two belts in two separate weight divisions in the promotion’s history.
Purists will argue that only a bout between two champions can be classified as a superfight and the first poster for the fight when it was still UFC 197’s main event seemed to blatantly ignore how rare this match-up is.
Despite the fact that the next lightweight title fight pits two belt-holders against each other, only dos Anjos’s strap was on display in the poster.
McGregor made sue to point out what he saw as an issue with the way the UFC were promoting this fight at the pre-sale press conference.
“That’s what I just noticed. Where is my damn belt?”
“This is a superfight. 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.”
His complaints were heard by UFC president Dana White, who admitted to MMA Fighting that the Notorious was right to kick up a fuss.
“Conor made his argument, ‘This is a superfight. I’m a [145]-pound champion. He’s the [155]-pound champion. My belt should be represented even though I’m not defending my belt.’
“And I said, ‘You know what? You’re right, Conor. All right, we’ll do it.”
Not only is McGregor’s belt now featured on the official poster for UFC 196, but the fight itself is being marketed as a champion v champion bout.
“We actually switched the poster and they’ve both got their belts and it’s champion vs. champion,” said White. “It’s a superfight: 45 vs. 55 for the 55-pound title.”
Here's your official #UFC196 poster!! pic.twitter.com/xDwVho0ViN
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 4, 2016
