"Take the belt" - When an upset Edson Barboza demanded Conor McGregor to be stripped by the UFC

Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor infamously crossed over to the boxing ring for a blockbuster fight against the legendary Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

McGregor's peak as the double champion saw him largely inactive inside the octagon and other lightweight contenders were not happy about it. Brazilian contender Edson Barboza was particularly vexed about the UFC's indifference towards the Irishman's inactivity.

In a 2017 interview with Fight Society, Barboza addressed McGregor's lengthy hiatus from the sport and advocated for him to be stripped off the title.

“Conor stays out for a long time. I don’t think he worries about the UFC, don’t worry about the division. He (doesn’t) respect us, and the UFC don’t get his belt. I really don’t understand why the UFC got the belt from (Germaine de Randamie) and why the UFC (doesn’t) get the belt from Conor? Take the belt (from) Conor. I really don’t understand. I think this belt in the UFC, Conor’s not a real champ.”

Edson Barboza also questioned Conor McGregor's commitment to mixed martial arts and the lightweight division:

“This guy is thinking about boxing; he’s thinking about another sport. He don’t think about the UFC. He don’t think about the division. That’s my job; that’s my work. I’m in the UFC to get the belt. I’m in the UFC to be the champ. I know I deserve the chance. This guy, because of him, our division is stuck. That’s not good. This guy doesn’t respect nobody. He doesn’t respect the UFC, and he’s still champ. That’s crazy.” [h/t MMA Fighting]

Check out his comments below [6:08]:

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Dana White gives latest update on Conor McGregor's USADA testing pool status

Conor McGregor was expected to return to action this year after an injury layoff since 2021.

McGregor was supposed to take on Michael Chandler at the finale of The Ultimate Fighter. However, his return has been delayed due to his absence from the USADA testing pool and friction between the two entities.

UFC president Dana White provided the latest on the situation and explained that nothing was confirmed as of now:

“No. He is not officially in the USADA testing pool. He submitted the paperwork, probably by Monday he’ll be submitted. Again, don’t hold me to that, but the paperwork is submitted, next week sometime. I literally have nothing planned for Conor McGregor right now. The paperwork is being submitted. We’ll play it by ear, see how things work out, there’s still a lot of things that have to happen as far as fights go and then we’ll decide where he’s going to land.”

Check out Dana White's full comments below [3:18]: