"Why Not Go Up?": McGregor Confirms Welterweight Intentions

Before leaving cold Dublin for the cosmic desert city of Las Vegas for his March 5 super fight with Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 196, Conor McGregor gave his usual last interview in Ireland to nationally based MMA site SevereMMA.com.

'The Notorious' once again marked himself out as the man in control of the whole fight game as he told interviewer Andrew McGahon he is living the "whatever-the-fuck-I-want life".

"I am picking what I want (to do)," he told SevereMMA.com. "I am doing what I want. When you can rack up $400 million in revenue for the company in back to back events, you can do whatever the fuck you want. I'm living the whatever-the-fuck-I-want life. That's the life I live–whatever I want, whenever I want–and I have earned that through hard work and sacrifice, and that's it, through victory."

McGregor has visibly filled out his former featherweight frame ahead of his lightweight UFC debut. Although he will meet Dos Anjos for the lightweight title on March 5, it seems the Irishman is already preparing to take another leap up in weight after UFC 196. After beating the Brazilian, McGregor insisted he would "coming for the next belt", which is currently held by MMA icon Robbie Lawler.

"I feel amazing, I can show up with energy. I have got a serious amount of rounds under my belt since I got back from America, even in America when I brought Peter (Queally) over. I got the fuckin' work in here, I'm coming for that belt, I'm coming for the next belt, I'm coming for the whole company."

McGregor further outlined why he believes a move up to welterweight is warranted and he also highlighted his plans to move up to further weight brackets.

"Look at everyone down there," he said gesturing toward SBG's sparring area. "180 to 200 lbs easy, everybody. Everyone I'm sparring is well over welterweight. I've got middleweights coming in fresh to try and wear me down, you know what I mean? So, why not go up?

"They get slower and the get less free up there. They're stiffer. They're even more stuck (in the mud) than the lightweight division, so I'll keep going. (I will) Keep eating, keep training and keep going until all the belts are wrapped up. You say me with that 'Mountain', what weight was he? He was seven foot and I folded him, so I can go all the way.

"Did you see that meme where they gave me Roy Nelson's body? It's floating around. Who knows, I might go all the way up with that. I'm afraid of no one, I'll go up and fight at any weight. Anyone can come down and step in that cage with me and see how they fare, but nobody fares well, that's for sure."

As far as the Dubliner is concerned, moving through a variety of weight categories and always being available to fight is what "true martial arts" is all about.

"That's what true martial arts is about. Somewhere along the line, it became about, I don't know what it became about, but it isn't about martial arts anymore.

"How many times have you seen the champion instantly go up? How many years have you heard about super fights? How many times have you heard about a little sore toe and then the opponent bounces? There are pussies everywhere in this game and, I dunno, I'm here to fight. I'm here to win every belt and then I'm gone. And then I'll see the game later. I'll walk away from this game, set it ablaze and walk away."

Gearing up for his third outing in Sin City in nine months, the featherweight champion outlined why he would prefer his fights to be held on the east coast, or even better, Dublin, after UFC 200.

"Fuck Vegas, I'm serious," he boomed. "I want east coast next. If they don't give me Ireland, give me east coast. I'll go back to Boston, I know they're lobbying for New York. We had a great time when we went to Boston and the east coast is just a five-hour flight.

"I'd go back to The Point (Dublin). I don't care if it's nine thousand or whatever. They're saying I've outgrown that but I haven't outgrown my hometown. I'm still fuckin' here. I still show up here every day. I'm still me.

"Vegas for this one, Vegas for the next one probably because I committed to UFC 200, but then fuckin' east coast or Dublin. I'm just trying to get the fights, get the wins and to stay busy."

Finally, McGregor insisted that there is no bad blood between him and UFC, as he declared: "I will always be in association with Zuffa and the great team at UFC".

"It's all horseshit," he said on the rumored fallout between him and UFC brass.

"I've a great relationship with Lorenzo and a great relationship with Dana. Don't get me wrong I'm climbing that corporate ladder every goddamn day, and we will be neck and neck, and maybe somewhere along the line I will take that lion's share, but we will always be together. Loyalty is what I have. They gave me this. They're helping me with this and I'm helping them, we are a team."

"I will always be in association with Zuffa and the great team at UFC. It's an honor to grow with this company."