Business Is Booming: Conor McGregor Discusses His Future in the UFC

After leaving the MMA world awestruck wit his 13 second KO of Jose Aldo last Saturday, the newly crowned undisputed featherweight champion Conor McGregor didn't waste any time admiring his handiwork.

Before the post-fight press conference kicked off backstage at the MGM Grand Garden arena, word already filtered through that McGregor's unifying performance would be his last at 145 lbs. Frankie Edgar, who had fortified his position as the division's number one contender with his stunning first round KO of Chad Mendes the night before, was present ahead of the conference.

When the first press conference finished with all of the other big winners of the night–Faber, Maia, Rockhold, Holloway, Torres–McGregor eventually arrived and took up Dana White's usual position on a pedestal in front of the press.

McGregor made it abundantly clear that he is different than anyone else competing under the UFC banner as he explained how his quick stoppage came about.

"I feel I have the shots," he declared to his captive audience. "I have the timing and I can make the decisions. In these small gloves, with the correct force and timing, the human chin can't take it.

"He was the pound for pound number one fighter on the roster, undefeated in 10 years and the company's only featherweight champion. Who comes in and predicts one round KOs? I did, and I did."

"It's not the same when you fight me, it's a whole other ball game, a whole other pressure bubble. When they show up and face me, they are re-energized. They become better. He should go back and regroup and maybe get in line for the number one spot."

While decisions are usually left for Dana White and the UFC brass to decide, McGregor relayed his options to the media when they queried the newly crowned champion.

He said: "The options are there now. Frankie had a good win that could be for the featherweight belt, maybe the Jose rematch or maybe the 155 lbs strap. Options are a good thing in the fight game."

The usual conveyor belt of tweets and social media posts dedicated to how bad Conor McGregor looked on the scales on Friday were present after the weigh-in event. According to 'The Notorious' himself, although the cut is difficult, he believes the featherweight bracket is his division and he has no intentions of leaving it.

"I giggle every time because every time I step on the scales and then step off the scales, people say this is the worst I have ever seen him. He better rehydrate correctly or he's in a hell of lot of trouble. Don't get me wrong, it's a tough weight cut but tell me one time I've missed it? Tell me one day I've not turned up the next day fresh.

"Everyone who makes the stage is not in the freshest of states, this is the business. I had a guy who was helping me with the structure of it and I trusted the structure and the plan and the weight came off. Is it easy? No, but I get it done like a professional. I wasn't considering leaving the featherweight division for good because I am the world champion, this is my division. I say what I do now."

The Irishman is constantly looking to break ground and one of the main talking points that came out of Saturday's fight night was his wish to hold and defend both the featherweight and lightweight UFC titles simultaneously.

Dana White confirmed that McGregor will be getting a match with the winner of next week's lightweight title fight between champion Rafael Dos Anjos and fan favorite Donald Cerrone, but 'The Notorious' is adamant that he will not be vacating his featherweight title.

The Dubliner simply feels he is active enough to keep both of the belts, but should he get sidelined for a lengthy period of time, both divisions would suffer greatly if the Irishman did manage to hold both titles at the same time.

"Maybe there are a couple of contenders in the mix, let them compete against each other while I go up and take the lightweight belt and allow a contender to emerge. Then I'll go back down and take out that contender and then go back up after a lightweight contender has emerged and take care of that contender.

"I tell you one thing, that won't be happening. If I move to the lightweight division, there's no way in hell I'm vacating that belt, that's not happening. I will have one belt on one shoulder and one on the other.

"I understand why they have fighters have done that because many fighters don't fighter as often as me, I stay busy. I'm fresh when I go for that lightweight belt, I'll still be the featherweight champion. The belts will still be active because I am active, I'm as active as anyone."

Even though he broke the UFC's gate record for the second time in his last two outings, as well as breaking Ronda Rousey's record for the quickest finish in a championship bout, McGregor is already looking for new ground to cover as he cited Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao's $72 million gate for the 'Fight of the Century.'

"What did Mayweather vs Pacquiao do? $72 million, that's the target. I'm catching up. I'm only 27, those motherfuckers were 40. I'm only warming up."

"I said to Lorenzo and I said to Dana, I'm breaking these big numbers, I'm breaking these half a billion dollar revenue numbers like the Mayweather and Pacquiao's fight.

"At 27 years of age, I stand here as the unified world champion with back to back gate records at the MGM. This is trending as the highest PPV I believe of all time for the UFC. At 27 years of age with every record in the book, with divisions above ready for me to go at, super fights left and right. I'm going straight up, I'm bringing these big numbers, the sky is the limit."