LAS VEGAS -- Conor McGregor will be fighting at 170 pounds against Nate Diaz on Saturday at UFC 196. His next fight could very well be at the same weight -- for the belt.
"That's there," McGregor said Wednesday at open workouts here at MGM Grand. "I mean, why not? That's probably the leading option."
That means McGregor challenging Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title could very well happen at UFC 200 in July. And "The Notorious" said he would be very confident if that came together.
"I like Robbie," McGregor said. "I won't say a bad word about Robbie. He fights with his heart. He's been around the game so, so long. But if we fought, I would beat Robbie. I'm too fast for him. The size difference is not anything. I've stood beside him. I've seen him."
McGregor, 27, is the UFC featherweight champion. He wanted to fight Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title this weekend, but dos Anjos pulled out due to a broken foot last week. Diaz was McGregor's hand-picked replacement.
The plan, McGregor said, was to win the lightweight title and then move up to fight Lawler. Now, with dos Anjos out, he might bypass the lightweight belt for the time being.
"I mean, dos Anjos is an absolute bum, I swear," McGregor said. "And he's still complaining. How do you pull out of a fight with a bruised foot and he's still talking all this sh*t and his team is talking all this sh*t? Man up and fight. C'mon. I don't know what to say to this guy."
McGregor (19-2) has to get by Diaz first. Then, it seems like McGregor will try to make history by becoming the first fighter in UFC history to have two titles at the same time in two different weight classes. Except it's looking more and more like it'll be for the welterweight title against Lawler rather than the lightweight belt against dos Anjos.
"I respect [Lawler] as a champion, as a man who drifted off, came back, stayed on it and rose up and became the welterweight champion," McGregor said. "We'll see how that goes. That is an appealing one for me, the welterweight [title]. All the belts. We'll see."
Get the latest gear
