UFC officially strips inactive McGregor of 155-pound title

NEW YORK (AP) — Conor McGregor has been stripped of the UFC lightweight championship.

The long-expected move was officially announced by UFC President Dana White at a press conference for Saturday’s pay-per-view card at Barclays Center. McGregor has not fought for UFC since he won the 155-pound title at UFC 205 in November 2016. McGregor last fought at all in a boxing match he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26, 2017.

White had refused to strip McGregor of the championship until Wednesday when he discussed the popular Irish fighter’s return to UFC this year.

“Conor McGregor is 100 percent coming back this year,” White said.

White said he did not expect McGregor to attend the fight.

The UFC 223 main event of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Max Holloway will be for the lightweight championship. Nurmagomedov was originally scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson. Holloway already holds the 145-pound featherweight belt, and moved up to 155 pounds on less than one week’s notice.

Ferguson had been the 155-pound interim champion in McGregor’s absence and remained the No. 1 contender in the division.

“We’re not stripping Tony Ferguson,” White said. “Tony Ferguson isn’t being stripped. The only one that’s losing a belt here is Conor. Conor is losing the belt. These two are fighting for the belt.”

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