With Rafael dos Anjos making a big statement win over David Cerrone in UFC on Fox 17, the attention has now been placed on Conor McGregor with all that talk about him wanting to move up to the lightweight division.
Dos Anjos technically registered a masterful win of his own, finishing off Cerrone in 66 seconds. Although McGregor did his trick in less time (13 seconds), it seems that the bragging rights on who is the better fighter is now on the table.
But what must McGregor do first? In the background is a looming fight in the featherweight division where he is likely to face Frankie Edgar next. The difference is that McGregor will be putting up his title on the line against Edgar. Should he lose, it may douse water on any hope of seeing him fight dos Anjos in the lightweight class.
As MMA Weekly points out, it may be wise for "The Notorious" to face dos Anjos first. With the success that both fighters have had, there is no question that such a matchup will be off the charts.
If so, a dos Anjos vs. McGregor fight could be booked for UFC 197 in March. It could be the co-main event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where a possible tiff between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort is reportedly happening.
To simplify things, making the lightweight match is not only huge but something logical. A fight with Frankie Edgar is grand but no one can deny that for someone like McGregor who is undoubtedly a big star right now, a big jump will work more to his advantage.
If he loses in the lightweight division, he still holds the featherweight belt. Hence, his tiff against Edgar or whomever the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) UFC chooses can still take place in the featherweight division. The only thing is that the ones eying McGregor's title will have to wait and see if the UFC goes this route.
