Conor McGregor not "one of the greats" at featherweight, argues Michael Bisping - "He never defended the belt"

Michael Bisping says that Conor McGregor does not deserve to go down as one of the greatest in the UFC's 145lbs division despite his stellar run in the weight class.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The Count' also reflected on the upcoming UFC featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway at UFC 276. 'The Great' and 'Blessed' are set to lock horns for a third time in the co-main event of the pay-per-view next month.

The Australian won the title at UFC 245 with a unanimous decision win against Holloway. He made his first title defense with a controversial split-decision win against the same opponent at UFC 251.

Bisping believes that with another win against Holloway next month, Volkanovski will surpass Jose Aldo and 'Blessed' as the greatest featherweight fighter of all time.

While he acknowledged McGregor's astonishing run in the division, the former middleweight champion pointed out that the Irishman never defended his title. Bisping stated:

"If Volkanovski pulls it off, he then will be without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest featherweight the UFC has ever seen. Of course, that was Jose Aldo, 'The King of Rio'. Then Conor McGregor knocked him out in 13 seconds. But he then never defended the belt, he vacated and moved up to 155lbs. So, therefore, whilst McGregor had a crazy run at 145, he doesn't go down as one of the greats."

Watch Michael Bisping talk about Conor McGregor:

Volkanovski has already successfully defended his belt three times in the UFC with his latest win coming against 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273.

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Conor McGregor was undefeated in the UFC's featherweight division

McGregor made his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in 2013 at featherweight and earned a TKO finish. A decision win against Max Holloway followed. Consecutive finishes against Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier, and Denis Siver set him up for a 145lbs title fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 189.

However, Aldo pulled out of that clash due to a rib injury and Chad Mendes stepped in on short notice. 'Notorious' defeated 'Money' via a late second-round stoppage to capture the interim featherweight title.

Watch Conor McGregor's octagon interview at UFC 189:

McGregor and Aldo finally met at UFC 194. 'Notorious' knocked out the then-defending champion in 13 seconds and unified the featherweight title. The knockout was the fastest in a title fight in UFC history. The Irishman never fought in the 145lbs division again.