Coach: No surprise if McGregor goes for welterweight belt after UFC 196

UFC 196 is still three weeks away, but Conor McGregor's camp is already looking ahead to another superfight.

McGregor's coach, John Kavanagh, has never been shy about his client's ambition. In a column for the42.ie, Kavanagh commented on how the featherweight champion is looking stronger as he goes up in weight and what that could mean if McGregor defeats lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on March 5:

I've seen that rumors of Conor fighting (UFC welterweight champion) Robbie Lawler for the 170lbs belt at UFC 200 on 9 July have been gathering momentum. It's not something we have discussed specifically but after Conor wins the lightweight belt, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the next fight is for the welterweight belt.

If that's what Conor wants to do, I'll absolutely support that move. I think that would be fantastic. We're already talking about making history in a few weeks, but can you imagine what it will be like if Conor is the champion in three weight classes by the summer?

It is well documented that McGregor suffered considerably to make the 145-pound weight limit, so the move to 155 made sense. Going up one more weight class to a division where he would be facing a size deficit may seem unwise, but the idea is consistent with McGregor and Kavanagh's plans for world domination.