Former two division champion Daniel Cormier is calling on the UFC to raise the stakes ahead of the upcoming clash between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.
McGregor’s long-awaited return to the cage has been confirmed for UFC 303 on June 29 and while a fight involving the biggest pay-per-view commodity in the history of the sport doesn’t require some adds bells and whistles to draw in fans, Cormier says that the fight would be an ideal opportunity to launch a new world title.
“I believe that if they’re going to do a 165-pound division, it should have a name attached to the weight class that is so big that it draws people’s attention,” he told Chael Sonnen on a recent episode of ESPN’s Good Guy / Bad Guy series, as noted by MMA Fighting.
“Conor McGregor being that name. Michael Chandler, on the other hand, will benefit from being in the right place at the right time, where these guys would then fight for the super lightweight championship of the world, because that’s what I believe it is. Because it’s only 10-pounds heavier than 155, so let’s call it the super lightweight division. Move 170 to 175, move 185 to 195, keep 205, [keep] heavyweight.”
The idea, though, may be easier said than done given that the UFC — and Dana White in particular — has opposed the concept whenever is has been raised by the media.
However, the recent addition of the symbolic ‘BMF’ belt — which has received some extra shine from the recent Holloway vs. Gaethje classic at UFC 300 — shows that an extra sub-category within the exiting divisional structure can be a positive for the UFC from a matchmaking perspective.
Additionally, one imagines that both McGregor and Chandler would be on board with the idea — with the former potentially in line to become the first-ever three division UFC champion should the new weight class be instituted.
