Conor McGregor’s Rumored New Division Spells Trouble for Leon Edwards’ Title; MMA Insider on Welterweight Future

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler’s fight is finally happening at UFC 303 on June 29th. Now there has been a rumor going around that the fight is going to be in a new weight class. Now, Dana White announced McGregor vs. Chandler as a welterweight bout, but there have been speculations about a new 165 lbs class being in the works. Could we see a last-minute change-up to the UFC 303 headliner?

This new 165 lbs weight class, which Daniel Cormier recently dubbed ‘super lightweight’ would bridge the uneven gap between 155 lbs and 170 lbs weight classes. The 170 lbs class would then likely become 175 lbs class under the new system, but what about the existing welterweight title? UFC veterans Big John McCarthy and Josh Thompson sat down to discuss this issue and also spoke about  Leon Edwards who might lose his title!

Is Leon Edwards in trouble if Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is at 165 lbs?

Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad were rumored to fight at UFC 300 but it did not come to fruition. “Remember The Name” very vocally expressed his outrage at this snub from the UFC and Edward’s team. According to McCarthy and Thompson, there is no title fight between them right now and the present 170lbs champion can even lose his title. But how? 

They were speaking about the 165-pound weight class and a possible championship belt being on the line in the talks between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor. However, Josh Thompson was not convinced about the fight at all and said that it was “undeserving of a title shot.” They were also concerned about the 170lbs going obsolete if the new weight class of 165 came into the foray.

Big John said, “Has Leon even been scheduled yet for Belal?… I don’t think he has.” To this, Thompson answered with a resounding “no”. Then the UFC veteran elaborated on the champions of the different divisions at the moment. He said, “Let’s take a look at this division. We got Islam at the top at 155. you’ve got Arman Tsarukyan in No.1, he is the No1 contender. You’ve got Charles Oliveira in No.2, Justin Gaethje still hasn’t adjusted to these things, have they?”

He also added, “We are talking about is that [there are fighters] that can go up from 155 and fighters that can come down from 170 that would be more deserving of the title shot at 165 especially if it’s the very first one.” Finally, Thompson declared that he could only see McGregor benefiting in the new weight class. If this weight class is truly going to be introduced for McGregor, where does it make Edwards stand?

Jon Anik has answers for a new division

Anik discussed what could happen if the 165 lbs class was introduced and he involved both  Conor McGregor and Leon Edwards. McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest star in the UFC. However, he could truly benefit from the super light division. As per Anik, UFC should introduce a new division with hopes of “The Notorious” becoming the champ and making the welterweight 170 lbs.

Explaining more on the same, he stated, “Leon Edwards’s next title defense happening at 170 pounds and the UFC opening up a 165-pound division. I haven’t heard that internally; I think that’s just rumor mill stuff. But if ever there were a time to do that and try to create a championship for Conor McGregor, granted he hasn’t won a fight in four years, maybe this would be the time to strike on that initiative.”

He also gave the possibility of Edwards fighting McGregor, if McGregor beat Chandler. Even Daniel Cormier thinks that 165lbs is going to give McGregor a good chance of coming back. According to DC, the UFC 303 headliner should be for the inaugural 165 lbs belt. Nonetheless, everything about the new weight class is still a speculation so where do your opinions stand?