UFC Fight News 2016: Conor McGregor on Plans For Win; Sexual Assault Allegations Force Change to BJ Penn's Fight Date
Reigning UFC featherweight champion and current lightweight title challenger Conor McGregor revealed his immediate plans, should he end up victorious at UFC 196 against Rafael dos Anjos.
The 155-pound title fight between McGregor and current champion dos Anjos was set to headline the said event on March 5th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor has always been vocal about his future plans after his fights.
After defeating former long-time featherweight champion José Aldo in December at UFC 194, "The Notorious" immediately called out dos Anjos with the main objective of being the first and only fighter to simultaneously hold two belts in two different weight classes.
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The UFC did heed his requests, leaving fighters like Frankie Edgar, who was promised a shot at the featherweight title, in utter disappointment. Now, McGregor has set his sights on a new goal after UFC 196.
In an interview with Irish media outlet Severe MMA, the 27-year-old fighter says he is now planning to take his chances at welterweight, at 170-pounds.
"Why not go up?" McGregor said in jest. "They get slower and they get less free up there I feel, they're stiffer, even more stuck than the lightweight division." "I'll keep going, keep eating, keep training, and keep f****** going until all the belts are wrapped up," he added. "I can go all the f****** way."
However, it looks like that match-up will have to wait as it was reported in a recent MMA Fighting report that dos Anjos is forced to withdraw from the match because of an injury. The report's sources say that the fighter is suffering from a broken foot which happened late last week. UFC is now looking for a replacement fighter for the match against McGregor.
Meanwhile, the UFC return of former two-division world champion BJ Penn has been put on hold, after some sexual assault allegations were thrown his way. On Tuesday, Pedro Alex Carrasco, a former writer for BJPenn.com, alleged that Penn came to his home and forced himself on his girlfriend.
The UFC takes serious actions when it comes to such allegations, making them apply the same treatment on "The Prodigy".
"In light of the serious allegations, UFC has postponed plans to book Penn for an upcoming bout until more details are determined," an excerpt of the UFC's official statement on UFC.com reads.
Penn was slated to make his return at UFC 197 on April 23rd, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
