Thursday 5 April 2018 15:42, UK
Conor McGregor has been stripped of the UFC lightweight championship, says UFC president Dana White.
The long-expected move was officially announced by White at a press conference ahead of Saturday's UFC 223 card at Barclays Center.
McGregor has not fought for UFC since he won the 155-pound title in November 2016 and last fought at all in a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr in August last year, which ended in defeat.
White had previously refused to strip McGregor of the championship but that changed on Wednesday, and White thinks McGregor will be back in action at some point in 2018.
"Conor McGregor is 100 per cent coming back this year," White said.
The UFC 223 main event of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Max Holloway will now be for the lightweight championship.
Nurmagomedov was originally scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson, but he had to pull out with a serious knee injury.
Holloway already holds the 145-pound featherweight belt, and moved up to 155 pounds on less than one week's notice.
Ferguson had been the 155-pound interim champion in McGregor's absence and remained the No 1 contender in the division.
"We're not stripping Tony Ferguson," White said. "Tony Ferguson isn't being stripped, the only one that's losing a belt here is Conor.
"Conor is losing the belt. These two are fighting for the belt.
"The interim these two were supposed to fight for, fight doesn't happen, now one of these guys will be the champion. Tony is still the number one contender."
