Is anyone really buying Conor McGregor’s excuse for failing to defend featherweight title?

Will we ever see Conor McGregor at 145 lbs again?

Although he admits that the cut down to featherweight is tough, McGregor has maintained that dropping down to 145 lb is still achievable, despite the fact that he is looking to fight at welterweight in his next trip to the Octagon. McGregor hasn't hidden the fact that he only has one fight on his mind - a rematch against Nate Diaz, the only man to defeat him inside the UFC's Octagon. While the UFC are trying to iron out the details for what is sure to be another PPV smash hit, the featherweight division has been somewhat left in limbo with McGregor's absence. Although a new interim champion will be crowned at UFC 200 where former champion Jose Aldo is scheduled to take on Frankie Edgar, there are still doubts over whether McGregor will ever return his belt. The Notorious confirmed to ESPN that he asked for the Diaz rematch for his next bout, mainly because he wanted to avenge the loss, but also because he saw no major challenges left for him at 145 lbs.

"It was my idea. I wanted to have my revenge at 170, and they're crying and complaining about the 145-pound belt, which I just won three months ago. That division was killed, it was dead. Jose went down in 13 seconds. What more can I do? I travelled the world with that man. I finally got him in the Octagon, and he only lasts 13 seconds."

According to McGregor, that after beating the likes of Aldo, Chad Mendes and Max Holloway, the division was void of worthy challengers.

"I didn't see a challenge there any more. So, I wanted to create interest from a fan's perspective and my perspective. I want to see them two go at it, with an interim belt on the line. Then I will see people walking around my division with a belt and that will intrigue me. It will make me want that belt again."

The issue with this argument is that many people believed Frankie Edgar had done more than enough to solidify himself as the number-one contender in the division. Edgar has been on the tear since losing a closely-fought title fight against Jose Aldo, notching up five consecutive wins including finishes over Chad Mendes, BJ Penn and Cub Swanson. Lest he forgets, McGregor was granted his crack at the belt after he went on a five-fight win-streak in the UFC, albeit had to settle for an interim title bout after Aldo injured his rib.