McGregor warned against welterweight switch as new challenger emerges

Conor McGregor drops out of richest athletes list after being No.1 last year

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British fan-favourite Danny Roberts believes Conor McGregor could ‘struggle’ if he chooses to make the switch to 170lb. The Irishman recently teased a move to welterweight and Roberts would love an opportunity to welcome McGregor to the division.

Hot Chocolate faces Aussie puncher Jack Della Maddalena this weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivak’s undercard. After a frustrating last outing against Francisco Trinaldo, the dynamic striker is keen to put the loss behind him with a statement victory.

A win against the highly-rated prospect would fire Roberts up the pecking order in a welterweight division that was recently shaken up after Leon Edwards dethroned long-reigning champion, Kamaru Usman. Another big change that could make things even more interesting at 170 is the introduction of McGregor.

In a recent Instagram post, McGregor hinted at a potential move to welterweight after packing on the muscle during his time away from the Octagon. Speaking about McGregor’s next steps during a sit-down chat with Express Sport, Roberts broke down the former two-weight champion’s chances in the division.

“It’s crazy, I’ve seen the pictures of him, and he looks huge,” he said. “Obviously, he’s not that tall and could struggle in a sense because he’s shorter. One thing that is inevitable when you’re going up weight classes is the strength, and the power is ridiculous.

“That would be the first thing that I would question, how he would get on with some true 170s because they’ve been living at that bigger weight their whole life, cutting their whole life. If you’re putting it on, it’s like, how quickly can your body make those adaptations and have the output that you need.

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“As we saw with Israel [Adesanya] when he moved up [to light-heavyweight from middleweight], that is something that can be a telling factor. Again though, as a person, he put the sport on a pedal stool so it would be interesting to see him come back.”

When asked who we would like to see McGregor square off against when he eventually returns to action following full recovery from a broken ankle, Roberts replied: “Oh me, I’d love to have a fight with McGregor, southpaw v southpaw… With me, it would be a firefight. I’d have to absolutely bed Jack on Saturday and then off the back of that, I’d have to say ‘listen, Mr McGregor, if you’re ready. I’ll happily welcome you to 170.’

“It would be a nice fight for him to come back with, one that he wouldn’t think would be too risky especially given the weight. I think it would be one for the ages honest to God. The fighting styles match-up well, I’m fast, I’m intense, he’s patient, he has poise, it would be a good chess match.”

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