The C in UFC may no longer stand for Conor.
Mere hours ago, Conor McGregor was quite literally able to call any shot he wanted in the UFC. Weight class, opponent, title or super-fight – the world was McGregor’s oyster.
The same can’t be said now.
McGregor’s “I do what I want” shtick, as undeniably amusing as it was, was entirely dependent on the continuation of his streak of dominance.
Having gone undefeated since 2010, ‘The Notorious’ had fashioned a kind of impenetrable armour stemming from his pair of Cage Warriors title captures, his early magic in the UFC, his interim title victory and his unification dismantling of Jose Aldo.
But Nate Diaz didn’t so much find a chink in that armour as he sliced right through it by making McGregor look completely out of place at 170 lbs.
All hope of McGregor vs. Robbie Lawler has gone out the window now and, in reality, it could be some time before we see the Dubliner compete again at welterweight.
So does he finally benefit from the realisation of his lightweight title shot against Rafael dos Anjos? The UFC would struggle to hand McGregor the crack at RDA over Diaz, the man who just submitted him.
So it seems like there’s just one option left and that’s the man who made the initial suggestion about what the C in the UFC stood for.
McGregor has to return to featherweight to prove that the glory days aren’t over for him. He has to defend his title against Frankie Edgar, plain and simple.
The only problem is that McGregor’s difficulties in making 145 lbs have been massively publicised in recent weeks and that leaves his hands very much tied in terms of what’s next.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the UFC did give McGregor the lightweight shot but it must be pointed out that the promotion have now clawed back some of the power that ‘The Notorious’ had wrestled away from them.
The promotion has now returned to its rightful place, in the power position, and it will be very difficult for McGregor to find his way back to the free rein he has enjoyed for so long.
So much can change in one night, with one fight, with one resounding ‘motherfucker.’
