Staying at 155? UFC 205's Conor McGregor warns lightweight division: 'I'm going to kill them all'

Having already beat three of the top-five fighters in the featherweight division, Conor McGregor is “excited” to have a new crop of opponents from the lightweight division starting at UFC 205.

McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), the UFC’s reigning featherweight champion, looks to add a lightweight belt to his collection on Nov. 12 at UFC 205, where he challenges Eddie Alvarez (28-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in the pay-per-view main event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. It’d be a historic moment if “The Notorious” could pull off the win; he’d be the first fighter in company history to hold two belts simultaneously.

Although McGregor, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, will likely be forced to vacate one title after UFC 205, he hasn’t explicitly stated which one he would give up. But with victories over No. 2-ranked Jose Aldo, No. 3 Max Holloway and No. 5 Chad Mendes already on his resume, McGregor’s best shot at fresh matchups would likely come at 155 pounds.

McGregor hinted at that notion in a new video blog (via YouTube). The brash Irishmen sent a strong message to the lightweight division, starting with its No. 1-ranked fighter, Alvarez.

“I’m going to kill them all,” McGregor said. “(I’m) very excited and at the same time calm. Calm and excited. We’re going to go out there and put on a showcase. Stake my claim. What can they say now? Two belts. What I said, I did. We’re very excited about the future. We’re only starting here. There’s a lot more coming.”

In less than four years with the UFC, McGregor has risen up the ranks, captured the 145-pound title, competed in two classic fights against Nate Diaz, set records for fight purses and pay-per-view sales, and now looks to become a two-division champion.

The sudden rise to the top of the sport has made McGregor a polarizing figure with fans and fellow fighters, but it’s a position he embraces. McGregor has forced people to either love him or hate him – something he thinks other fighters should welcome if they want a fraction of his success.

“I only had a five-round war with a guy three times the size of me, and now I’m back again, and all I hear is complaining, (expletive), moaning,” McGregor said. “You want this money? You want this? You want what I got? You got to put in the (expletive) work. And as far as I’m seeing, nobody’s putting in the work. Everybody’s talking. Everybody’s thinking, ‘Just because Conor has it, I should have it.’ No, no. I didn’t always have it. There’s a reason why I have it. I had to work my (expletive) bollocks off to get it, and here I am still working while they’re talking.”

McGregor said the difference between him and other fighters is how he sets a goal and then achieves it. His lone setback since joining the UFC came to Diaz at UFC 196 in March, but he avenged the defeat with a majority-decision win over “The Ultimate Fighter 5” winner at UFC 202 in August.

UFC President Dana White has repeatedly praised McGregor for being a “true fighter” who will fight no matter the opponent or situation. McGregor said others in his profession won’t do the same, and that’s why he’s in the position he’s in ahead of UFC 205.

“Who is going out there, time and time again, back to back to back to back, putting it all on the line and continuing to show up?” McGregor said. “They all say I’m all talk. I look at them and say they’re all talk, because I’m the one in here fighting every week.”

For more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.