Conor McGregor says the UFC floated Carlos Prates as a attainable opponent at 170 kilos, however he believes the promotion was actually attempting to push him again towards 155 kilos as a substitute. In a brand new interview with Ariel Helwani, McGregor mentioned he agreed to the struggle in precept, waited for a contract, and says nothing ever arrived.
Conor McGregor explains failed Carlos Prates talks
The larger image is that McGregor and Max Holloway at the moment are being lined up for UFC 329 at welterweight, a transfer that might ship two fighters with most of their UFC careers at 145 and 155 into a brand new division. McGregor has solely fought at 170 as soon as earlier than, whereas Holloway has constructed his UFC run round featherweight with a later transfer to light-weight.
McGregor framed the Prates speak as a check of kinds. He mentioned, “They spoke to me about him, I mentioned, ‘Yeah, no downside. Ship the contract.’ So I’m saying yeah for about two weeks, the place’s the fucking contract? No contract got here. Have you learnt what it was? They needed me again down at 155 kilos. So I believe they have been attempting to throw names at me… [To all the names] Sure, no downside.”
That model matches reporting across the comeback talks, which mentioned the UFC had mentioned Prates with McGregor earlier than transferring in a unique course. Ariel Helwani additionally reported that McGregor had accepted the Prates thought, however the promotion didn’t stick with that matchup.
The welterweight angle is an enormous a part of the story as a result of it modifications the equation for each males. McGregor has spent most of his UFC profession at featherweight and light-weight, and his transfer to 170 has been uncommon. Holloway, in the meantime, can also be recognized for 145 and 155, so a 170-pound important occasion can be a shift for either side quite than a traditional cut-and-rehydrate struggle week.
McGregor mentioned the UFC’s pitch stored circling again to names quite than a clear contract, which is why he learn the scenario as stress to tug him down in weight. He additionally left the door open to different choices, saying, “[To all the names] Sure, no downside.”
Carlos Prates is an fascinating menace as a result of he brings actual stopping energy and a stretch of knockouts that has put him on the map shortly. 24 profession wins with a powerful 19 by the use of KO/TKO. He has just lately stopped Jack Della Maddalena, Leon Edwards, and Geoff Neal.
Holloway has emerged because the return opponent at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas. The bout is anticipated to happen at 170 kilos, which might be Holloway’s first time competing at welterweight within the UFC.
That pairing additionally brings a protracted rivalry again into focus. McGregor and Holloway fought within the featherweight division years in the past, and each males later constructed massive elements of their resumes at 155. A welterweight assembly would give the matchup a unique look, even when the names are the identical.
For McGregor, the important thing element is not only who he could struggle, however the place the UFC desires him to take a seat on the size. His feedback counsel he sees the Prates speak as leverage, whereas the Holloway struggle seems to be the course that caught.
McGregor says he agreed to the Prates thought, no contract got here by way of, and the main target has now shifted to Holloway at 170. That leaves the UFC’s subsequent transfer centered on a comeback that feels extra like a welterweight experiment than a basic McGregor weight-class return.
