It took just 13 seconds for Conor McGregor to take the undisputed UFC Featherweight title on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and make the entire stadium erupt.
The Irishman, who said "Precision beats power, and timing beats speed" after his stunning knockout (KO) win over Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 194, has now mentioned that he is not interested in vacating his title once he moves to the lightweight division. McGregor has been admitting his intentions of moving to the higher-weight division for quite some months now.
However, once you move to a different weight class, you need to vacate your belt. 'The Notorious', on his part, has stated that he is holding on to his featherweight title, come what may. "If I go up to that lightweight division, there's no way in hell I'm vacating my belt," the Irishman was quoted by the BBC.
"There'll be a belt on both shoulders. The belts will still be active because I'm active."
McGregor wants to take the decision of moving up to the higher weight class after giving some thought about it during the Christmas period. Having said that, he also mentions that he is going to fight in both divisions simultaneously. "I know the option is there for the 155lb lightweight belt."
"Maybe I feel there's a couple of contenders in the featherweight mix - let them compete against each other while I go up and take the lightweight belt, and then go back down and take out that contender," McGregor said.
"Then I'll go back up after a lightweight contender has emerged and take them out."
UFC president Dana White, nevertheless, has already said that he is willing to offer McGregor a direct title shot if he wants to move to the UFC Lightweight division. "I'd bring him straight in [McGregor] for a title shot," White stated. "So next Saturday [UFC on Fox 17] will be the fight between [Donald] 'Cowboy' Cerrone and [lightweight champ] Rafael dos Anjos.
"And the winner of that, if Conor McGregor is moving to 155, would face Conor McGregor."
