Conor McGregor doesn't seem too interested in returning to the lightweight division for a fight with Justin Gaethje.
McGregor will step into the Octagon for the first time in five years Saturday when he faces Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor slammed Gaethje at Wednesday's media day, saying he would rather fight for the 170-pound title than go back down in weight to face the newly crowned 155-pound champion.
"Join the queue," McGregor said in a message directed at Gaethje. "There's a few (waiting in line). Look, he has the lightweight belt. Fair play to him. Holloway put him face down, ass up, though. Badly. Badly face down.
"I'm not even thinking of it at this time. Would I go down to lightweight again? I'm not so sure. I fancy the triple crown. ... Less of the disrespect, you f-----g bum."
Gaethje pulled off a stunning upset against Ilia Topuria to capture the lightweight title at the UFC White House event in June. Two weeks after the fight, the 37-year-old said he "would love to punch Conor McGregor in the face."
Gaethje's most recent loss came against Holloway at UFC 300 in 2024. Holloway knocked out Gaethje in the final second of the five-round fight, delivering one of the most iconic moments in MMA history.
McGregor, a former lightweight and featherweight champion, hasn't fought since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The 37-year-old Irishman enters his comeback bout against Holloway on a two-fight losing steak. He has a 1-3 record dating back to 2018.
