It’s been noticeable over the past few weeks that UFC President Dana White has been doing his best to avoid directly answering the question as to whether Conor McGregor will be stripped of his lightweight title due to inactivity, but he has now finally confirmed it officially.
Speaking to the L.A. Times, White said that McGregor will no longer be champion once the owne of the interim belt, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov step into the Octagon at UFC 223 in April to compete for the undisputed title.
“That’s exactly right: As soon as one punch is thrown, it’s on for the full title and it’s only fair. They’ve both worked their way up to No. 1 and No. 2. They deserve a shot,” White stated.
”This is good news for the fans. I always hear about, ‘What will you do if this guy leaves …’ This is a sport first. People leave, they’ve made money and moved on. It happens.”
That being said, White also makes it clear that he he would be only too happy to welcome McGregor back to fight for the belt against the winner of that fight.
”Conor does want the belt, he does want to be the champion, but he doesn’t want to defend it. I’d love to see him fight the winner of Ferguson-Khabib next.”
