Relinquished titles and interim belts: Breaking down a crazy few days in the UFC
SunSport's UFC expert Simon Head answers these questions, and more, as he unpicks a bizarre chain of events in the world of MMA
WHOEVER would have thought that the UFC light-heavyweight champion’s torn groin would become the catalyst for such upheaval in the UFC’s featherweight division?
But, bizarre though it is, that’s exactly what’s happened, as Daniel Cormier’s pulled adductor muscle has caused a remarkable chain of events that has left the fanbase split and cost Conor McGregor one of his two world titles.
It’s been a crazy situation that resembles a strange game of featherweight musical chairs, so let’s see if we can break it down a little. First off here, in a nutshell, is what’s happened to date:
- UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier withdrew from the main event of UFC 206 with a torn groin
- UFC stripped Conor McGregor of his featherweight belt
- UFC promoted interim featherweight champ Jose Aldo to full ‘undisputed’ champion
- UFC promoted Max Holloway v Anthony Pettis from co-main to main event of UFC 206
- UFC made Holloway v Pettis an interim featherweight title fight
It’s a remarkable turn of events that has seen fans and journalists alike debating the rights and wrongs of the past few days.
There are many viewpoints being shared, but here are a few significant ones that I’d like to address in an attempt to provide a little more clarity and offer a less partisan view of the situation.
"McGregor is the most active champion so he shouldn't have lost his belt"
Yes and no. He’s certainly one of the most active in terms of fights, but if he’s not defending the title that statement is worthless in this case. You could even argue that the fact he’s been active yet STILL hasn’t defended his title actually works against him.
Injuries happen, and we’ve seen it with Dominick Cruz and others. So they’ve had no option but to sit out while recovering. But in McGregor’s case, he’s CHOSEN not to defend his belt. That’s the difference.
Sometimes it’s not always possible to defend a title. It’s the willingness to do it that is the factor here.
With McGregor giving no sign of wanting to move back down to fight at 145lbs (his coach reportedly even told Dana White McGregor would never fight at 145 again) and with his two-weight quest now complete, it makes little promotional sense for the UFC to let him to hang on to the title any longer.
"McGregor deserved to be stripped because he's running from fights"
While this sits on the other side of the coin to the previous point, this is equally incorrect.
I’ve seen people suggest McGregor is running from Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo and Khabib Nurmagomedov, among others. But let’s look at what’s actually happened here.
This is a man who worked his way up to a title shot, which was then snatched away from him when Jose Aldo got injured last summer.
Many would have opted to sit it out and wait for the Brazilian to recover, but McGregor instead stayed on the UFC 189 card and faced Chad Mendes - the very type of fighter people said he couldn’t deal with. He took the fight, stopped Mendes in the second round and became the interim featherweight champ.
When McGregor did eventually face Aldo at UFC 194, he knocked him out clean in 13 seconds.
Then, he was all set to face Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC lightweight title, only for history to repeat itself as the Brazilian pulled out injured.
Again, many would have waited for their chance, but McGregor stayed on the UFC 196 card and faced Nate Diaz at a heavier catchweight. It was a big risk, and he lost by submission.
At that point he had a decision to make. He could drop back down to featherweight and defend his belt against Edgar, where the haters would have slammed him for retreating to 145lbs with his tail between his legs. Or he could face Diaz again in a bid to get that win back.
His fighting pride saw him take the latter option and he proved his mettle by defeating Diaz by majority decision after five thrilling rounds at UFC 202.
I don’t think by pursuing the Diaz rematch he was running from Edgar, just as I don’t think he was running from Aldo when he took the lightweight title fight with Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. In the first case it was a matter of pride. In the second it was simply the biggest fight he could take.
As for Nurmagomedov, that question remains unanswered. The Russian is without doubt the top contender in the UFC’s lightweight division, and all things being equal McGregor really should face him next. But the other most likely scenario is a trilogy match with Nate Diaz - and that’s a huge money fight for McGregor and the UFC.
Will McGregor and the UFC pick the money fight or the title defence? I don’t think Conor’s ducked an opponent yet, but not facing ‘The Eagle’ next could lead to more credible complaints from some quarters about his desire to defend his title.
"Jose Aldo is not a worthy champion"
Frankly, this is a ridiculous statement. Jose Aldo is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, full stop.
Yes, he lost definitively to McGregor in 13 seconds at UFC 194, but McGregor lost definitively to Nate Diaz at UFC 196. The difference, of course, is that Conor got his rematch in his very next fight, while Jose is still waiting for his a year later. But that’s a topic for another day.
The point here is losses happen in MMA. It's part of the sport. When assessing a fighter you have to look at their overall body of work and in Aldo’s case you won’t find many - or possibly any - better in the lower weight classes.
If McGregor is no longer part of the UFC featherweight division - and that’s a fair assessment as he’s fought three times since winning the belt, but none of them at 145lbs - then what’s left on Aldo’s CV? In short, a period of complete and total dominance.
He's lost just once (to McGregor at UFC 194) in the last 11 YEARS, and even rebounded from the McGregor loss with a comprehensive points win over Frankie Edgar (a former lightweight world champion, no less) at UFC 200.
If Aldo really does want that rematch with McGregor, he’ll almost certainly have to do it at lightweight, which will mean a move up, and probably a big win or two over the top contenders.
But let’s not pretend Aldo isn’t one of the best fighters in the world just because of one flash knockout. With McGregor seemingly out of the picture at 145lbs, he’s the best guy in the division.
Of course, he’ll need to defend his belt - just as people wanted Conor to - and he’ll do that next year against the winner of the December 10 bout between Max Holloway v Anthony Pettis bout at UFC 206.
"There's no need for the UFC to introduce an interim featherweight title"
While I agree with the sentiment behind this statement, from the UFC’s perspective there very much IS a need for an interim title in this case.
With Cormier v Johnson off the table due to DC’s torn groin, the UFC needed a worthy replacement to headline UFC 206.
Typically pay-per-views are topped by world title fights, and with few options available at the relatively short notice, the best option they had was to upgrade the co-main event bout between Holloway and Pettis to the main event and make it an interim title fight.
The interim title is little more than a promotional bauble in this case. In reality this is a title eliminator with a little window dressing. The interim title helps maintain some prestige to the top of UFC 206, but ultimately the belt itself means little from a sporting point of view.
It may look pointless to fans who know what’s what, but for those casuals who impulse-buy pay-per-views, having a gold belt at the top of the card can be a difference-maker when the UFC count the takings at the box office.
And besides, does it really matter? Once the winner faces Aldo in their next fight, the extra belt disappears.
"How does Anthony Pettis' form warrant an interim title shot?"
On the face of it, it doesn’t. He’s 1-3 in his last four outings.
But the key thing here is he’s at a new weight class, having dropped down to featherweight after his trio of losses at 155lbs. And at 145lbs he went straight into a bout with a respected contender in Charles Oliveira and dealt with him handily, immediately putting him into the contender bracket.
And as a former UFC world champion who has stoppage wins over fellow former world champions Benson Henderson (UFC champ) and Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce champ), his pedigree here is not in doubt.
Timing has certainly helped in this case, but his matchup with Holloway seems appropriate enough for both men at this stage. It’s only the introduction of the interim belt that’s raised this question.
And I’ll refer back to my previous answer to repeat that this is a title elimination bout with a token belt. The actual belt itself is worth little in genuine championship terms. That comes when the winner takes on Aldo next year.
The Verdict: Blame Rafael dos Anjos!
OK, I’m joking a little. It’s not entirely dos Anjos’ fault, but if you trace it all back, it’s actually his foot injury that effectively kickstarted this entire storyline.
Had he been fit, McGregor would have fought him for the lightweight title at UFC 196 last March. But RDA’s damaged foot sent McGregor off on a scenic route to the lightweight title via back-to-back fights with Diaz and a title fight with Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in New York.
Now that storyline has all played out, the time is right for things to be returned to normality, with the featherweight division reset with an active champion and the lightweight division continuing to flourish with contenders taking on McGregor for the belt in the months to come.
I have no issue with the direction Conor McGregor has taken his career. I don’t think he’s evaded title defences or ducked fights, but there’s no denying the circumstances of his year have had a major part to play in the current situation.
Now the UFC has taken the decision to relieve McGregor of the featherweight belt, promote Aldo to full champ and make Holloway v Pettis an interim title fight, it effectively means the promotion has pushed the reset button on the featherweight division and, looking at the big picture, that’s a good thing. The 145lb weight class has been on hold for the best part of a year.
As for McGregor himself, all his big-fight options remain but for me his next fight has to be a title defence, and it has to be against the best available contender. If Nurmagomedov is fit, then it absolutely should be against him.
That would be by some distance the most dangerous fight in McGregor’s stellar MMA career.
And while predicting a winner from that matchup will be extremely difficult, one thing is for sure.
We’ll all be watching.
