In my opinion: The Lightweight belt is vacant, still up for grabs.

[The Natural Born Runner]

I've thought about this long and hard, and the fact that we have 3 champions means we have none.

Conor McGregor on paper is the most legitimate champion of the 3, in the pure sense that he knocked out the reigning champion at the time. He knocked out an all-time great fighter, with an incredible resume and some serious longevity. The things that work against Conor are the obvious, he hasn't defended the belt once and he hasn't been injured either. The guy has gone close to 2 years without a defense, with no genuine excuse.

Tony Ferguson also has a claim for the title as he was the man who stepped up to fight when Conor wouldn't. Tony has beaten fighters like Edson Barboza and Rafael dos Anjos, fighters that Conor has never fought, and he did so in better fashion than Khabib. The thing that works against Tony is the sheer fact that he beat Kevin Lee to get his belt, and as much as I love Kevin he is still a little green.

Khabib (through no fault of his own) beat Al Iaquinta for his title, I just cannot take that serious. Khabib is not at fault though, Tony had the chance to truly overtake any claim of Conor being the "real champ", but he unfortunately got injured. Khabib did his job and he has been doing so since he arrived in the UFC.

It's vacant to me, there is no undisputed champion in that division. Until one of them fights one of the other two, then this division will remain divided and an absolute mess.

 

[Tamriel Terror]

 

[ortizgnp]

 

[13 others]

Tony Ferguson is the champ imo and Khabib is interim. Conor has been too inactive to keep it. Tony fights Khabib to unify and Conor takes a warm up fight or fights winner of Bib/Tony.

 

[loisestrad]

Well, there's the champ, Conor. He defeated the champ to become the champ.

Then there's the paper champ(s).

 

[Sapp]

Makes sense to me. Khabib vs Ferg was always the fight to make and it hasn't changed.

 

[Rovert]

 

[Sole]

Can you imagine how badly he'd embarrass Habeeb?

 

[ortizgnp]

We're discussing lightweight, genius. Also fluke and steroids.

Frankie bless. The last real 155 champion.

Reported.

 

[lsa]

Well, there's the champ, Conor. He defeated the champ to become the champ.

Then there's the paper champ(s).

Well.. According to Conor him self ". If you’re fit to fight and you’re not going to fight, the belt rightfully should be stripped,"

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

Khabib's claim is paper thin, but he's good, he's been active lately, and he was healthy enough to fight.

He really needs a win over Ferguson though.

 

[Jermu]

This. did not even read post.

 

[agibmxmma]

Khabib is the Champ, the only one at LW in the UFC, with a belt, and recognized as the Champ by other fighters. Tony and Conor claiming to be Champs is like Joanna thinking she won the rematch, and only lost the first fight over a weight cut.. delusional, and can't accept reality. It's not about opinion, because reality is, Khabib has the belt.

 

[VAfan]

we have two at most. conor fled the scene, he's gone, he's irrelevant. let him climb the ladder again if and when they let him come out of jail.

 

[Congo66]

It's a good job that your opinion means fuck all then TS.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is the UFC LW Champion.

 

[chamcham]

They really need to make Khabib vs Tony.
Conor is only interested in money fights now. Like an MMA fight with Mayweather. Or maybe a trilogy fight with Diaz.

 

[lsa]

They really need to make Khabib vs Tony.
Conor is only interested in money fights now. Like an MMA fight with Mayweather. Or maybe a trilogy fight with Diaz.

Yeah if they keep booking that fight.. they might just end up fighting.
But I wont hold my breath.

 

[BRaVo cHoKe]

Conor - Champ-champ
Tony - Interim Champ
Khabib - Interim-interim Champ

 

[IamStryker]

I've thought about this long and hard, and the fact that we have 3 champions means we have none.

Conor McGregor on paper is the most legitimate champion of the 3, in the pure sense that he knocked out the reigning champion at the time. He knocked out an all-time great fighter, with an incredible resume and some serious longevity. The things that work against Conor are the obvious, he hasn't defended the belt once and he hasn't been injured either. The guy has gone close to 2 years without a defense, with no genuine excuse.

Tony Ferguson also has a claim for the title as he was the man who stepped up to fight when Conor wouldn't. Tony has beaten fighters like Edson Barboza and Rafael dos Anjos, fighters that Conor has never fought, and he did so in better fashion than Khabib. The thing that works against Tony is the sheer fact that he beat Kevin Lee to get his belt, and as much as I love Kevin he is still a little green.

Khabib (through no fault of his own) beat Al Iaquinta for his title, I just cannot take that serious. Khabib is not at fault though, Tony had the chance to truly overtake any claim of Conor being the "real champ", but he unfortunately got injured. Khabib did his job and he has been doing so since he arrived in the UFC.

It's vacant to me, there is no undisputed champion in that division. Until one of them fights one of the other two, then this division will remain divided and an absolute mess.

I believe I usually agree with you on a lot of things but the above is nonsense. Conor was legitimately stripped, he isn't a champion of anything. Tony pulled out of fight to unify the belts so there is only one legitimate champion in Khabib. Khabib does not have to fight those two to be the real champion. Conor might not want to fight again and who knows when Tony will be able to come back. You really going to sit there and pretend that Khabib isn't the champion. That's just dumb.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

this is exactly the sort of wishy-washy fan frustration when contenders don't fight other contenders for chances at the title, and champs don't defended belts.

185 felt this way for a year or two. Max beating Aldo finally put some frustration to rest at 145, but there will still be people who will forever claim Conor is still champ (whether they actually believe it or are just trolling is beside the point).

so your feelings are just the symptom to a deeper illness, TS. and though i don't exactly 'agree' with your perspective, i get why it exists and appreciate it.

i'm more like Justice Scalia in Dec 2000; although it goes against every so-called originalist opinion he ever stood for, he was willing to just say "fuck it, let Bush be President, because that's what we need right now". i'm willing to say fuck it, let's call Khabib champ.

frankly, your perspective is more righteous than mine.