UFC legend Conor McGregor has dropped from the UFC lightweight rankings, marking his first time out of any top 15 in the promotion since 2014.
The former two-weight world champion had been hanging on to his ranking at 155lb by the skin of his teeth, holding just one win in the division during his time in the UFC. That victory was his world title win over Eddie Alvarez, now gone from the promotion, and he has since lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier twice at lightweight.
McGregor also held a spot at welterweight briefly, having beaten Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone at the weight, both of whom were previously ranked. But when he decided to make a serious run at lightweight by going back down for his series of fights with Poirier in 2021, he dropped from contention at 170lb.
The Irishman is currently on the comeback trail from a gruesome broken leg that he suffered in his trilogy bout with Poirier which has kept him out of action since July of last year. And he is planning to come back at welterweight, having bulked up to over 195lb during his time away from the octagon.
McGregor first landed a position in the featherweight top 15 in 2014 ahead of his UFC Dublin headliner with Diego Brandao, which he won by first round TKO to break into the top 10. He went on to become world champion at 145lb, dethroning the iconic former champ Jose Aldo before moving up to 155lb to challenge for an unprecedented second belt.
However, his challenge for gold at lightweight was delayed when the champion of the time; Rafael Dos Anjos, was injured just two weeks out from their Las Vegas meeting. Nate Diaz, a former lightweight title contender, stepped in at the last minute, but couldn't make the 155lb limit so McGregor jumped up two weight classes to welterweight, where he had never fought in his life.
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The move backfired, with Diaz submitting McGregor in the second round at UFC 196, but the pair immediately rematched that summer at UFC 202, with the Irishman getting his win back by Majority Decision. He then returned to his goal of winning lightweight gold, which he did that November at Madison Square Garden in the main event of UFC 205.
Should McGregor make a successful comeback at welterweight, he is plotting an effort at his third world title, which is unheard of in the sport. He will have to get in line, however, as newly-crowned champion Leon Edwards has a slate of challengers waiting for their opportunity after he defeated the seemingly unbeatable Kamaru Usman earlier this year.
McGregor is currently in the midst of a controversy over his drug testing status with the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). He believes that he will be granted an exemption from the six months needed in the testing pool in February, and will be tested just twice before booking a comeback fight. But the agency aren't so sure, and believe he will need the lengthy process. McGregor hasn't been drug tested in over a year.
