
The man nobody wants to fight just challenged the man everyone wants to fight…
During Conor McGregor’s time in the UFC the Irishman has made many enemies. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as rivalries in MMA often equate to dollar signs. Since moving up from the featherweight division, ‘The Notorious’ has experienced some serious hate.
Facing Nate Diaz in a duo of welterweight affaris, McGregor rounded out 2016 fighting in the lightweight division. Against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, McGregor won his second title. Soon after the UFC stripped McGregor’s featherweight belt, and things started getting a bit crazy.

McGregor’s Future Is Uncertain
When the UFC decided to take McGregor 145-pound title, few knew the impact this would have. Yes, the promotion really did it just to create another interim belt, but would McGregor have defended it eventually? According to the Irishman, yes, but nobody asked him to:
“Before I even got the belt, they wanted to strip me,” McGregor said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “That’s what I’m saying, before I even won the belt, it was like, ‘you’ve got to give up this one.’ It’s like, just let me go and get the thing first. Let me go make the history. Let me go do what’s never been done before. And there seemed to be a problem with that, for whatever reason. I don’t know what the problem was, but again, a lack of communication. All they had to do was ask.
“If they had actually came to me and said, ‘Conor, I know you’re prepared to have a baby, I know you’re chilling. If you want to fight for this featherweight belt in March,’ just a nice time, I would’ve went in and would’ve slapped Holloway or this guy he’s fighting, or Aldo, or whoever they wanted. No problem. All they had to do was ask. Instead, they created an interim belt. They gave back the unified belt to a guy I KO’d in 13 seconds. A guy I dominated is now the interim title (holder). Look, I was almost a little bit embarrassed for the way it was playing out,”

Rodriguez Challenges McGregor
During the same interview, McGregor indicated he would happily return to featherweight. Fresh off his win over legend BJ Penn, Yair Rodriguez issued a challenge. As per Flocombat.com:
“I think it’s pretty smart [McGregor’s tactics], you know?” Rodriguez said. “I read in an interview where he [McGregor] said he doesn’t mind to go back to 145. So, he [said] before, it’s not something that I’m making up, he said it, ‘He’s [Aldo’s] not really a champion in the 145-pound division in the UFC because I [McGregor] have the belt, [I’ve won] against one of those that has the belt, which is Max Holloway, and I already won against Jose Aldo, who is the number-one contender for a title shot. So he’s not really a champion.'”
“He’s not really champion if he decides to go back to 145,” Rodriguez said. “But, guess what’s going to happen if he does try to go down to 145? He’s going to be in my way. If I become a champion before he tries to go to 145, he never [won] against me, he never fought against me, so eventually a fight like that is going to have to happen.”
Continued below…

I’ll Kick McGregor’s Ass
“I think it will be crazy and I think fans will love it,” he said. “I don’t want to bring McGregor up because then people are going to think, ‘Oh, now he’s trying to use McGregor, you know?’ but no, I don’t want McGregor’s success. He’s got his own stuff and he’s been smart enough to build his own empire and I don’t want that. I want my own stuff. I don’t really care about him or whatever he wants to do with his own life. If he wants to go and fight in boxing, I don’t really care.
“I care about my career and if he’s in front of me, I don’t care–I will go and kick his ass. I’m just being honest, I prepare myself. I’m a winner and people don’t remember losers. People remember winners, and I’m a winner. I’ve been one all my life.”