Rafael dos Anjos may have missed his chance at a big payday against Conor McGregor.
The current lightweight champion had to pull out of the co-main fight at UFC 196 after breaking his foot last week. Instead, McGregor will face Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout.
While many of us assumed that RDA’s injury simply meant McGregor’s attempt to become the first dual-weight champion in UFC history would simply be delayed until UFC 200 in the summer, some believe the fact the fight will take place at welterweight means something else is on the cards.
Retired UFC light heavyweight competitor Chael Sonnen thinks The Notorious might skip the lightweight division altogether go straight to fighting for the welterweight crown.
Did everybody miss the point in Danas announcement? If Connor wins, he's fighting Robbie next.
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) February 24, 2016
Robbie Lawler is the man currently atop the welterweight division, and while the prospect of seeing him fight McGregor is an exciting one, it would be a massive challenge for the Irishman.
Of Lawler’s last four fights, The Brawler has won three by decision and one by a fifth-round TKO. McGregor, on the other hand, has only had one fight in his professional career go the distance – and that was a three-rounder.
But The Notorious has refused to rule the idea out, and even hinted at the issue during Wednesday night’s press conference with Nate Diaz.
“It’s hard to commit to Dos Anjos again,” he said. “When you pull out with an injury like that, a bruise on the foot, there’s not much I can do to help you to bring you back into the mix. So it does change things a little bit, but we have to see how that one plays out.”
