UFC featherweight champ McGregor faces lots of opportunities

Newly crowned UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is a man with many career options after exponentially growing his star power with the fastest finish in Ultimate Fighting Championship title fight history in the main event of UFC 194 on Saturday night.

First, he just wants to celebrate the holidays.

McGregor said after knocking out Jose Aldo he has spent several Decembers in training camps since becoming a professional fighter and he is looking forward to a traditional Christmas at home.

"Right now, I'm thinking about Christmas. I get to go home. I've put in a hell of a lot of work this year. It's been a crazy year for me. So I'm looking forward to going home, building a Christmas tree with my girlfriend, spending time with my family, eating some good food and letting the plan form around me," he said. "I'll keep my ear to the ground and see what people are most interested in and make a decision then."

There are several directions McGregor can go for his next fight. His trainer has said that the cut to featherweight is so burdensome that he should move up to the 155-pound lightweight division.

UFC president Dana White indicated if McGregor chooses to do so, he can take the next shot at the title after Rafael dos Anjos puts it on the line against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone next week in Orlando, Fla.

McGregor insists he can continue to make 145 pounds and remain at featherweight. In that case, he could grant Aldo a rematch or fight Frankie Edgar, who recorded a quick knockout of top contender Chad Mendes in Las Vegas on Friday night.

"The options are there. We've got Frankie who had a good win last night," McGregor said. "That could be for the featherweight belt. Maybe a Jose rematch or we've got the 155-pound belt. I enjoy options. Options are a good thing in the fight game."

So is drawing power, and McGregor has plenty of that. His win over Aldo set Las Vegas records for attendance and live gate for mixed martial arts. Now, he's set even loftier goals.

"What did Floyd and Manny do — 72 million (dollar) gate? We did 10.1. I'm catching up. I'm only 27," he said of a May fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao in the same venue. "Those (expletives) are 40. I'm only warming up. At 27 years of age, I stand here as the unified champion with back-to-back gate records at the MGM. This is trending as the highest pay per view. At 27 years of age, with every record in the book, with weight divisions above ready for me to go at, superfights left and right, tell me one other champion that's been like that.

"Every other champion gets a belt and they don't want to go up or down. I'm going straight up. I'm bringing these big numbers and the sky's the limit."

One area McGregor feels he has already reached the pinnacle is in the pound-for-pound rankings.

He said Aldo was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and now he has taken that title along with the belt.

"I believe there are many great fighters and people who do many great things," he said. "But when you combine it all together, the whole package, the whole animal that is the fight game, I don't think there's nobody that does it better than me.

"I think I am the pound-for-pound No. 1."

Now he will have to prove it. While McGregor still has to decide which weight class to next do that in, one decision has been made for sure: He won't give up his belt to chase a second one.

McGregor was a two-division champion when he competed for Cage Warriors Fighting Championship before signing with the UFC and he plans on duplicating that feat at the highest level.

"I tell you one thing that won't be happening. If I go up to that lightweight division, there's no way in hell I'm vacating my belt. That's not happening. There will be a belt on one shoulder and a belt on the other shoulder," he said. "I understand why previously they would have fighters do that, because many fighters don't fight as frequently as I do. There's no vacating. That's not happening.

"I'm not considering leaving the featherweight division for good because I am the unified champion. This is my division. I say what I do now. Most certainly I'm looking to replicate what I have done in my previous promotion, a two-weight champion, held consecutively. I said I would do it and I will do it."

As for Aldo, he's left waiting to hear if McGregor and UFC officials decided his long reign as champion merits an immediate rematch. Aldo said immediately after the fight in the cage he would like another chance.

McGregor said he would be willing to oblige the request, particularly because of how quickly the fight played out.

"You don't want to see the only champion in the company's history going out like that. I had a little moment where I felt sorry for Jose," McGregor said. "It's been a long road and I appreciate that he showed up. I have no doubt along the way there were options to pull out, but this time he stuck around."

McGregor indicated, however, he feels it would be best for Aldo to wait.

"It's up to him which way he goes about it. I feel he should take a step back and re-center himself," he said. "I've said many times, it's not the same when you fight me. It's a whole other ball game. It's a completely different pressure you're under. He felt the pressure like he'd never felt before because he was facing me."

Now there are two whole weight classes that may be about to find that out.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.