NEW YORK — Conor McGregor is now the UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, the first person to ever accomplish such a feat. Eddie Alvarez is in the rear-view mirror. So what's next for "The Notorious."
First, McGregor is going to be busy with the birth of his first child in May. After that, he said UFC and WME-IMG brass must offer him a share of the company for him to compete again.
When all is said and done and McGregor is ready to get back into the Octagon, though, there are a list of opponents lining up for him. Two possible opponents are Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tyron Woodley. McGregor got into verbal altercations with both of them before the UFC 205 ceremonial weigh-ins Friday.
Nurmagomedov won his fight Saturday night, beating Michael Johnson in a lopsided contest by third-round submission. Afterward, he called out McGregor, whom he called a "chicken," and the entire country of Ireland. McGregor was all ears, but doesn't seem all that interested in taking on the Dagestani mauler.
"He's fought once in eight years," McGregor said. "He ain't fight too frequent for my liking. For me to commit to something like that, I need to see solid proof that people are gonna show up and he's a consistent pull-out merchant. He had a good performance tonight. Fair play to him.
"I need to see active. I need to see activity. I need to see consistency. I need to see me. If you want me to come and change your life, if you want me to come pick you, you better have some damn reasons for me to do that."
McGregor and Woodley got into a tense confrontation at the official weigh-ins Friday morning and later McGregor was captured on video yelling insults and taunts at Woodley backstage at the ceremonial weigh-ins. Woodley, the UFC welterweight champion, said Saturday night after fighting to a majority draw with Stephen Thompson that he would sign to fight McGregor on the spot.
"I'm sure he would," McGregor said. "I'm sure he f*cking would. They all would."
In an ironic twist, McGregor ended up holding Woodley's belt after he beat Alvarez. There was only one belt waiting for McGregor after the victory and he wanted to wear two to signify himself as a two-weight champion. The UFC asked Woodley if McGregor could borrow it and he let him.
"Maybe that's a sign of things to come," McGregor said.
After the baby is born and WME-IMG inevitably gives in to McGregor's demands to be given UFC equity, McGregor will have many options, like he usually does. Three weight divisions could feel the wave of the brash Irishman soon enough.
"I feel good at all of them," McGregor said. "I'm dominating them. I own the featherweight division. I'm dominating the 155 now. At 170? I have no problem going to 170.
"I'm sizing them up all week saying, ‘They're not on my level, either.'"
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