We’ve never seen anything like Conor McGregor before.
A fighter who is moving around weight classes, taking on all comers and continues to express a lack of worry about short-notice opponent changes.
The UFC featherweight champion moves up to welterweight to take on Nate Diaz on Saturday night and that decision has come in for some criticism as he realistically won’t be able to defend his 145 lb belt until the summer at the very earliest.
But UFC president Dana White has admitted that he wouldn’t be surprised if McGregor’s days at 145 lbs are over, depending on how he fares against Diaz.
At a launch party for EA Sports UFC 2 in Las Vegas on Friday, White admitted that he foresees a scenario in which McGregor decides to vacate his featherweight title if he wins impressively on Saturday night.
“If he wins impressively tomorrow he doesn’t even go back to 45, that’s what I think,” White told a scrum of reporters at the Mandalay Bay.
“That weight cut is horrible for him. He looks terrible. I’m sure he feels terrible. I think he stays at 170 if he wins tomorrow.
“Listen, when you’re dealing with Conor McGregor, he’s a smart guy. He gets business. He’s not unreasonable about anything and he will fight anybody, anywhere, anytime. Who could have a problem with that?
“When you’re dealing with super-talented people, they’re always going to be quirky and different in their own ways but, no matter what you are, when you act and fight and will step up for anything the way Conor does, you can’t deny the kid.”
White added that ‘The Notorious’ is a breath of fresh air when compared to some of the less game fighters he’s dealt with over the years.
“Conor is a unique individual who is different to anyone we’ve ever seen in the business,” White said.
“That kid makes being a fan of fighting fun. Listen, there’s times when you have guys that are just unreasonable, that make dumb choices and don’t want to fight anybody or want to fight once or twice a year. Why would you have a problem with anything that Conor does?”
