"I was a little taken aback" - Michael Bisping reacts to Conor McGregor dropping out of lightweight rankings

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping spoke about Conor McGregor dropping out of the lightweight rankings on Thursday.

However, the former UFC middleweight champion didn't realize it wasn't the official UFC rankings that McGregor dropped out of. The Irishman had instead fallen out of the rankings put out by the MMA Fighting publication.

Bisping has claimed that despite being taken aback by McGregor's exclusion from the list, he understands that the Irish sensation's recent form may be the ultimate reason.

"People think he [McGregor] is crazy. But number one, he is unranked, that just happened today. And I was a little taken aback when I saw that Conor was not ranked. But then you start to break it down and you look at the facts. The reality is, he hasn't won a fight since 2016, other than Donald Cerrone, who is not ranked either. As far as rankings go, it is not the UFC but an independent board of press people... But this team of journalists that cover the sport, they all vote. Of course, McGregor is no longer in the top 15."

Watch Michael Bisping discuss Conor McGregor dropping out of the UFC lightweight rankings below:

'The Count' also spoke about 2021 PFL lightweight tournament winner Raush Manfio being included at No.15 in the UFC rankings, which is false. Click here for the official UFC rankings across all weight classes.

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Conor McGregor is unbeaten in the UFC featherweight division, while he has only one lightweight victory

Conor McGregor is still ranked No.9 in the UFC lightweight division. However, he holds a 1-3 win-loss record at 155 pounds, with his only victory coming in his title fight against Eddie Alvarez in November 2016.

McGregor, however, is 7-0 in the UFC featherweight division and 2-1 as a welterweight. He defeated Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds, the fastest finish to a UFC title bout, at UFC 194 in December 2015. In doing so, he claimed the 145-pound belt.

Despite his success as a featherweight, it is highly unlikely the 33-year-old Dublin native will return from the leg injury he suffered at UFC 264 last year to fight at that weight class.