Conor McGregor. Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Could Conor McGregor fight for inaugural belt of possible new UFC weight class?

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Apr 23, 2024 3:28 PM ET

The scheduled UFC 303 matchup between Conor McGregor (22-6) and Michael Chandler (23-8) is one of the most anticipated fights of 2024.

But the bout could get even more interesting if the UFC takes the advice of former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and adds a new division between lightweight (155 pounds) and welterweight (170 pounds) and makes the McGregor-Chandler fight for the inaugural belt.

“I believe if they’re going to do a 165-pound division, it should have a name attached to the weight class that is so big it draws people’s attention, Conor McGregor being that name,” Cormier said on ESPN’s “Good Guy/Bad Guy.” “It’s only 10 pounds heavier than 155, so let’s call it the super lightweight division.”

165 https://t.co/jPqqE8pFB2
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) April 23, 2024

Under Cormier’s proposal, the UFC would then need to reshuffle a few of its current weight classes to accommodate the new 165-pound division.

The welterweight limit would move from 170 pounds to 175 and the middleweight limit would be pushed from 185 pounds to 195. The light heavyweight (205-pound limit) and heavyweight (265-pound limit) divisions would remain unchanged.

Cormier’s cohost, former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen, disagreed with the need for a new division.

“There is no need for a 165-pound title,” Sonnen argued. “The commission does not sanction 165-pound fights. The UFC does not contest a 165-pound division. [This fight is] not about the made up 165-pound belt that doesn’t exist, this fight is for the UFC’s most entertaining man.”

After a year of waiting, McGregor and Chandler will face one another June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during International Fight Week. Both fighters have lost three of their last four fights.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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