CONOR McGREGOR HAS already jumped the queue for a title shot in the UFC’s lightweight division, but if he does the same at welterweight, at least one 170lbs contender isn’t going to be pleased.
Demian Maia believes a win against Matt Brown at UFC 198 on 14 May should earn him a shot at the welterweight belt, which is currently in Robbie Lawler’s possession.
However, a potential bout between McGregor and Lawler has had MMA fans talking in recent weeks after McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, mentioned in his exclusive column here on The42 that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Irish superstar soon challenged for the UFC welterweight title.
“If that’s what Conor wants to do, I’ll absolutely support that move. I think that would be fantastic. We’re already talking about making history in a few weeks, but can you imagine what it will be like if Conor is the champion in three weight classes by the summer?” Kavanagh said as recently as last week.
Having claimed the UFC featherweight title at the expense of Jose Aldo in December, McGregor will aim to add the lightweight belt to his collection by dethroning 155lbs champion Rafael dos Anjos in Las Vegas on 5 March.
It remains to be seen whether a push for the welterweight strap would be next, but Demian Maia was strongly opposed to that idea when he spoke to Ariel Helwani on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour.
When asked if he’ll be angry should McGregor be given a welterweight title shot, Maia said: “Yeah, I will. Give me that title shot if I win [against Matt Brown]. If I win that fight I want to fight for the title. Forget about McGregor.”
Maia is currently ranked sixth in the welterweight division. In his last outing, the 38-year-old former middleweight title challenger showed why he’s arguably MMA’s most effective Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner when he dominated Gunnar Nelson, Conor McGregor’s Straight Blast Gym team-mate, over three rounds at UFC 194 in Las Vegas.
Regarding the prospect of being overtaken by McGregor in the hunt for the welterweight belt, Maia said: “I would be sad, you know, because that’s crazy. We’re athletes and we work very hard on our way to the title. I understand that this fight would make a lot of money, but as an athlete, I don’t agree with that. I can’t disagree more.
“If you think okay, you’ve got to work, do a couple of fights at least to prove that you can fight because it’s a different division. But at the end of the day, I don’t think he will win against Rafael.”
Maia added: “It’s too much weight difference. I think it’s a different body type. Rafael is very tough, he proved that in his last fights. I’m sure [Conor] has his chance, of course. He proved that against Aldo.”
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