Conor McGregor has recently hinted at a potential jump to the middleweight division for his upcoming UFC return.
This revelation came through a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after Sean Strickland's surprising victory over Israel Adesanya. The Notorious wasted no time suggesting a move to the 185lbs weight class, which would mark a significant departure from his accustomed weight categories.
McGregor's journey in the UFC began at the featherweight division, where he captured his first championship title at 145lbs. He later climbed to the lightweight division, securing another title at 155lbs. In 2016, he made his welterweight debut at 170lbs when he faced Nate Diaz, showing his versatility across weight classes.
It has been over two years since McGregor's last UFC appearance, marked by a gruesome leg injury leading to a doctor's stoppage loss against Dustin Poirier. His return to the Octagon has faced delays, and the latest updates indicate that he has yet to re-enter the USADA testing pool. Nevertheless, McGregor continues to drop hints about his future plans within the promotion.
One fan asked him: "Conor move up to 185 this is ur [sic] chance."
He replied: "No mess, I'd fancy it."
Another asked if he would be back at 170, and he said: "185."
McGregor has also been speaking a lot about Strickland on his social media following his shock victory at UFC 293.
In one video, the new middleweight champion speaks about the car he drives.
Strickland said: "Name one UFC champion that drives a Hyuandi Accent. I ain't trading that in, I paid $16,000."
McGregor quoted that clip and said: "I give him less than a month he trading that motor in hahaha."
It remains to be seen when he will actually return to the Octagon.
He told talkSPORT in August that he still plans to fight in 2023 against Michael Chandler, before facing Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz in 2024.