5 fighters who could end 2018 with a UFC title and 5 who won't

Could end 2018 with a title: Conor McGregor

Would the UFC really risk stripping Conor McGregor of his Lightweight title?

Right now the UFC future of Irish superstar Conor McGregor is massively in flux. This is largely because questions abound over whether the UFC can even pay him enough to bring him back – he reportedly made around $100m in his mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather – and whether he actually has any intention of defending the Lightweight title he took from Eddie Alvarez back in November 2016.

Current reports have the UFC looking to set up a title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson – the current Interim champion – with the winner potentially fighting McGregor in the fall. This plan supposedly involves the UFC stripping McGregor of his crown, but personally, I don’t see this happening for a pretty big reason.

The UFC’s “champions clause” means that any current champion is essentially locked down with the company for as long as they see fit. While McGregor holds a UFC title, basically he can’t walk away – or attempt to – to try to promote himself, something that is clearly in the Irishman’s mind.

I can see the UFC doing the Khabib/Ferguson fight for the interim belt while allowing McGregor to keep the real thing – bringing him back for a “money fight” at Madison Square Garden late in the year against Georges St-Pierre.