Conor McGregor
McGregor has not defended his lightweight belt since winning it on November 2016 Reuters

KEY POINTS

  • McGregor has not defended his lightweight title since winning it in November 2016.
  • There have been calls for the 29-year-old to be stripped of his belt.

Kenny Florian believes the UFC should strip Conor McGregor of the lightweight title as he does not need to be a champion to remain a big-money draw.

McGregor made history when he defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 for the lightweight title to become the first fighter to hold two different belts at once.

However, that was in November 2016 as the Irishman is yet to defend the 155-pound strap, having ventured into the boxing world last August with a debut loss to Floyd Mayweather.

Expected to return to the octagon and unify his titles against interim champion Tony Ferguson, there has been no update on a potential return fight, as it is now approaching nearly 14 months for McGregor without a title defence.

Many in the combat world are calling for the 29-year-old to be stripped of his title, or at the very least, vacate it as the likes of Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov lie in wait for his decision.

Former lightweight title contender and UFC analyst Florian wants to give McGregor a few more months but would not be against him losing his title as it has been "too long" and would ultimately not matter for him.

"Here's the thing. I think the UFC should give him another four months," Florian said on UFC Tonight, seemingly assuming that McGregor has not defended for 12 months.

"I think 16 [sic] months, that's way too long to not be defending your belt and honestly, it doesn't matter if Conor has a belt or not.

"He has transcended the belt and probably transcended the UFC to a certain extent. That's how big of a star he is. It doesn't matter if he has a belt, three belts, eight belts, no belts. You're going to tune in to watch Conor McGregor fight so I don't think it really is a big deal."

Fellow analyst and current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley also chimed in with his opinion, jokingly suggesting that the UFC should strip McGregor so that he can move up to 170 and face him.

"You know, he likes to make history, he likes to break records. I say strip him and then let him come up to welterweight and try for a third belt," Woodley stated.

"I'm just saying. One of those belts were mine anyway [when McGregor was presented with a second belt]."

Meanwhile, McGregor has been going back-and-forth with Mayweather on Twitter over his alleged problems with an Irish cartel as the Crumlin native still seems to be targeting a rematch with the former five-weight champion.

Conor McGregor UFC