The world is still waiting to hear the legal ramifications of Conor McGregor’s alleged bus assault in Brooklyn before UFC 223. However, on Wednesday, “The Notorious” revealed at least part of the sporting ramifications for his unprovoked freakout. In an Instagram post hyping the fact that he placed fourth on Forbes’ annual list of the 100 highest paid athletes, McGregor cryptically boasted he’d be higher on the list, “If I had of fought on the agreed May 12th bout in Rio De Janeiro.” UFC 224 went down on that day in Rio and well-connected MMA journalist Ariel Helwani went on to reveal exactly what McGregor was going on about. The scenario Helwani and McGregor describe goes something like this: Had McGregor not gone nuts before UFC 223, he would have fought Rafael dos Anjos for the interim welterweight title at UFC 224 in Rio. The fight between dos Anjos and McGregor would have been a fascinating one on a number of levels. For starters, it would have been an opportunity for McGregor to once again make history. The Irishman is already the first man in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time, but if he’d beaten dos Anjos for the interim welterweight title, McGregor would have been the first person in UFC history to win titles in three different weight classes (featherweight, lightweight and welterweight). He also could have made the case that he’s currently the best fighter in all three divisions because the featherweight and lightweight titles were stripped due to inactivity, not because McGregor lost them. Furthermore, the fight would have been a call back to the exact moment McGregor became a mainstream superstar. Way back in 2016, McGregor was booked to move up from the 145-pound featherweight division, where he held the championship, to challenge dos Anjos for the Brazilian’s 155-pound lightweight belt. During the lead-up to the fight, McGregor also casually mentioned that he would challenge for the 170-pound welterweight title once he had dos Anjos’ belt, but nobody believed him at the time. The boast, like much of what McGregor said, seemed absurd. Then, just days before the fight with dos Anjos at UFC 196, the Brazilian pulled out because of an injury. Nate Diaz, of all people, stepped in on less than two weeks notice to take the fight with McGregor, which ultimately was contested in the 170-pound welterweight division. In that first fight, Diaz towered over the much smaller McGregor, and the man from Stockton shocked the world by winning via rear naked choke. McGregor, however, became a legend by being conciliatory in defeat and then calling for a rematch at 170 pounds even though Diaz normally competes at 155 pounds. McGregor, in essence, was telling the world that he, as David, wanted to fight Goliath again. The rematch turned out to be one of the best fights in UFC history, which McGregor won via a five-round decision. Since then, McGregor has become a worldwide phenomenon while dos Anjos, never one to trash talk, has quietly rebuilt his career. After he pulled out of the McGregor fight, dos Anjos lost his lightweight belt to Eddie Alvarez — who then lost it to McGregor — and eventually decided to move up to welterweight, where he has looked like an absolute monster. Now, dos Anjos is set to fight Colby Covington for the interim welterweight title at UFC 225 in Chicago on Saturday night. The irony for dos Anjos is that Covington is America’s answer to McGregor. The only real difference being that Covington is a wrestler who adds racially charged language to his barrage of verbal attacks. There would have been other ramification had the McGregor-dos Anjos fight happened at UFC 224. UFC 225, for example, would have lost its most interesting fight: the one between dos Anjos and Covington. That would have put Covington in the position of needing a fight, and a matchup with fellow rising star Darren Till could very easily have been made. Similarly, had McGregor moved to welterweight, the future of the lightweight division would have become uncertain. As it is, newly crowned king Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t have a next fight lined up, and many, including UFC president Dana White, say McGregor is the fight to make. After all, McGregor’s UFC 223 freakout was supposedly triggered by a scuffle between McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s camps. Again, though, if McGregor had won the interim welterweight at UFC 224, Nurmagomedov would probably have been put to the side because McGregor is only looking for the biggest fights possible. And the biggest fight possible would have been a matchup with Georges St-Pierre, the greatest welterweight of all time. All these various scenarios and what-ifs are completely moot, however, because of McGregor’s bus freakout. The only thing that matters is McGregor’s June 14 court date. Until America’s justice system decides McGregor’s fate, everything in the UFC is up in the air.<doc-sep>Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos stare each other down FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Last night, the former UFC lightweight champion claimed he was scheduled to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 224 before his antics at the UFC 223 media day in New York, where he threw a dolly through the window of a bus carrying his fellow fighters. Moments after McGregor dropped that bombshell, MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani claimed the Irishman's comeback fight was supposed to see him take on dos Anjos, with the winner of the bout being crowned interim welterweight champion. Dos Anjos was asked about the revelations during the UFC 225 open workout media scrum and claimed the UFC brass never contacted him about a potential fight with 'The Notorious'. "Not that I know (of),” the former UFC lightweight champion told the assembled media. Conor McGregor bus attack in pictures Sun, April 8, 2018 View the gallery to see how the shocking incident unfolded. Play slideshow TMZ/MEGA 1 of 8 Conor McGregor and his entourage going berserk "I heard some rumours that the UFC were trying to do that announcement in New York in the last press conference. "But the UFC did not contact me directly to talk about this fight." In an interview with Helwani, dos Anjos added: "The UFC didn’t contact me to talk about that fight at all. "Everything that I’ve been hearing is from other people, other sources. "I saw rumours, but nothing directly about the fight. Dos Anjos, who will face Colby Covington for the interim welterweight crown this weekend at UFC 225, was supposed to fight McGregor in the main event of UFC 196 back in March 2016. Conor McGregor goes on wild rampage during UFC media day the UFC did not contact me directly to talk about this fight Rafael dos Anjos on if he was offered a fight with Conor McGregor The bout ended up falling through with 11 days to go as dos Anjos suffered a foot injury, which paved the way for Nate Diaz to hand McGregor his first UFC loss. Should McGregor still be keen to face him, dos Anjos is more than willing to lock horns with Ireland’s first UFC belt holder. "But I'll be there," the Brazilian said when asked if he's still interested in fighting the UFC's poster boy. "After Saturday, I'll be there. If the Irish boy wants to try his third belt, I'll be there too.” When pressed further by Helwani, dos Anjos added: “If the Irish boy wants to try for his third belt, I’ll be there. I’m sure I will win. I have no doubts in my mind. I’ve come this far. Conor McGregor wasn't offered to Rafael dos Anjos CONOR MCGREGOR: Rafael dos Anjos takes on Colby Covington in the co-main event of UFC 225<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Conor McGregor's return revelation Conor McGregor has claimed he was set to make his eagerly-anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 224 before his rampage at the UFC 223 media day, where he threw a dolly through the window of a bus carrying his fellow fighters. While discussing his placing on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athletes list on Instagram, McGregor said: “Made it to number 4 on the Forbes list this year. "If I had of fought on the agreed May 12th bout in Rio De Janeiro, I would have surpassed Ronaldo and Messi to take 2nd place. “Something came up however... Ah well, still under 30.”<doc-sep>
Conor McGregor recently revealed on social media that he had agreed to his first UFC fight in over a year and a half and it was supposed to take place at UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro. It was supposed to be against Rafael dos Anjos for the interim UFC Welterweight Championship. Notorious hasn't stepped foot inside the Octagon since he faced Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 205. Since then, a lot has happened for McGregor, including a boxing match vs Floyd Mayweather, as well as his involvement in a bus attack on the weekend of UFC 223 in New York. It was this bus attack that caused his agreed fight at UFC 224 to be cancelled, and dos Anjos was booked instead for an interim title bout vs Colby Covington. The fight later was moved from Rio to this Saturday's UFC 225 card in Chicago. Dos Anjos was recently interviewed by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani ahead of his interim title bout vs Covington this weekend where he was asked about McGregor's agreed fight reveal on social media and what his thoughts are about it. The Brazilian has replied to Notorious' social media post, saying that if he wins this weekend and if McGregor wants to make the fight to happen and make history, he will be there. Watch from the start of the video further down in this article. He said: "If the Irish boy wants to try for his third belt, I will be there." McGregor vs dos Anjos It would be quite interesting to see McGregor vs dos Anjos later this year if the Brazilian is successful this weekend, as it would settle an old rivalry between the two that stretches back all the way to 2016. McGregor and dos Anjos were originally supposed to fight at UFC 196 for the UFC Lightweight Championship before a foot injury forced the Brazilian to withdraw from the fight. Notorious would go on to fight replacement Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at the pay-per-view. McGregor vs dos Anjos could still happen later this year, but most likely, the Brazilian will have to be successful this weekend and win the interim UFC Welterweight title in order to lure the Irishman into a fight. As well as this, we'll have to wait and see how McGregor's court case for his bus attack on the weekend of UFC 223 concludes to see if he is available for a fight as well. News Now - Sport News