Don't exšŖpecšt to see Conor McGregor back in the cage until next summer.
The two-division UFC Champion looks to take an extended break after capturing the UFC Lightweight Championship from Eddie Alvarez last Saturday at UFC 205. According to UFC President Današ Whšøite, McGregor is expected to be sidelined until the birth of his child in May.
"He wonāt fight before May,ā White told theĀ this week.. āHis girl gets super stressed out when he fights. He doesnāt want her having any of that stress while sheās pregnant.Ā Heās good. He should take time off. Heās been fighting nonstop. Nothing wrong with him taking time off. Itās good for him and her and itās good for the baby.ā
McGregor leaves with several contenders awaiting their opportunities. Jose Aldo and Max Holloway both want their rematches at 145 pounds, while Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Fergusšon are at the top of the list at lightweight. Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley has been open to a fight as well, but has Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia and Donald Cerrone waiting for tąµ©heir shots. Dana White says McGregor's absence will not define the UFC.Ā
"Weāve done this for 16 years, with a lot of big stars who couldnāt fight or moved on ā Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre,ā White said. āThereās not a day in this office I donāt get the question, āWhat are we going to do about this guy?ā Every day I turn around, Iāve got a reporter saying weāve peaked.Ā If I listened to any of that ā we probably would be done."