Max Holloway Uses Conor McGregor’s Own Words Against Him About Being Stripped of the Title

With less than two weeks remaining until UFC 223, there is still no official word regarding Conor McGregor’s lightweight championship.

While UFC president Dana White has promised that interim champion Tony Ferguson and No. 1 contender Khabib Nurmagomedov are battling for the ‘real’ title, he’s hesitated to say he’s stripping McGregor’s belt just yet.

April will mark 17 months since McGregor won the title at UFC 205 with a knockout over Eddie Alvarez but since that time the Irishman focused on a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather and still hasn’t committed to a timeline for his return to the Octagon.

McGregor has said he’s absolutely returning to fight again but with the timeline set by White at August or September, it’s tough to see how he holds onto his lightweight title for nearly two years without defending it.

Then again, McGregor has more pull than any other champion in the UFC thanks to being the biggest draw in the history of the sport. That being said, UFC featherweight champion Max Hollloway referenced McGregor’s own words against him when asked whether or not the Irishman deserves preferential treatment while sitting on the lightweight title for more than a year.

“I’m going to take words from a ‘wise guy’ — if you’re fit to fight, defend your belt. That guy was Conor McGregor,” Holloway said on “UFC Tonight. “That’s his own words. He said if you’re fit to fight, you should defend your belt.”

Back in 2015 as McGregor was preparing for a fight against then featherweight champion Jose Aldo, he was forced to face a late notice replacement in Chad Mendes after the Brazilian suffered an injury in training.

At the time, McGregor had heard rumors that Aldo was actually cleared to fight but still dropped out of their bout and that’s where the quote came from that Holloway fired back at him in this latest war of words between champions.

“I mean, the medical reports state he is fit to fight, so there’s no more questions. If you’re fit to fight and you’re not going to fight, the belt rightfully should be stripped,” McGregor said about Aldo.

Holloway seems to agree with that statement when it comes to McGregor’s own exploits of holding onto the title while healthy enough to fight but still staying on the sidelines.

“What he does is great, outside of the UFC and all his money stuff for himself, he’s great. But when you call a man champion or doing champion stuff, he’s not doing those kinds of things,” Holloway said. “I’m just showing the difference.”