​Despite asserting his status as the greatest featherweight in history, Conor McGregor never managed a single title defense at 145 pounds, unable to cope with the harsh reality of a brutal cut to featherweight. In truth, the Notorious one grew increasingly dissatisfied and made a surprising jump to lightweight, where he bulkingly embraced steak-filled training camps and captured a second championship. He didn’t stay there long, mixing in a handful of appearances at welterweight as well. It seems 170 pounds could become his enduring home for the foreseeable future.
“You’re going to have to do something truly monumental to pull Conor back to 155 again,” Coach John Kavanagh told mixedmartialarts.com, via MMA Fighting. “170 is a comfortable cut for him now, and he has the frame for it. He certainly has the strength for it. He’s always had an unusual—an orangutan-like reach—so he’s comfortable at that range. He can tie his shoes without bending down, you know?”
That remark hints at a broader, more provocative image: perhaps McGregor can even snort lines without hunched over. As McGregor, who turns 38 in just a few days, looks ahead, there’s talk of adding another 100 fights before retirement, which is why some fans roll their eyes at the keyboard. At the very least, it seems likely we’ll see him compete one more time inside the Octagon, a move that would satisfy the remaining fight on his current UFC contract.
Yet the timeline remains murky. “How does the calendar look? I stay in my lane; I’m just the coach. But of course, I would like to see him busier than waiting until next April,” Kavanagh said. “We’re going to be done and dusted early July. So, if all goes well, a short break and then back into it. I would love to have something before the end of the year, but I’ll let the people in the suits argue about that.”
If Connie McGregor takes on Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event this weekend in Las Vegas, the outcome could dramatically shape this narrative. Regardless, the buzz around McGregor’s next steps continues to dominate headlines, as fans anticipate whether the Notorious one will step back into the cage for another electrifying run, or pivot toward a different path altogether.