Conor McGregor has been teasing his return to the UFC as a welterweight but at least one top ranked fighter at 170 pounds cautions him against that move.
One-time title challenger Gilbert Burns believes McGregor would be completely outgunned, outmatched and overpowered when going against the best fighters in the world at welterweight.
“He’s not a welterweight but if he wants to fight at welterweight, I’d love to beat the s*** out of Conor,” Burns told MMA Fighting. “I think he’s not going to take that punch. I’m not even talking about grappling cause that’s not fair. [I’d] just take him down and maul him but a fight with Conor, it’s a win-win for me. I’m going to beat him up and I’m going to get a ton of crazy money.
“I’m not even calling for that fight cause it’s not fair. I think he’s a 55-pounder, [if] he’s at 170, he can’t take those punches. He cannot handle that wrestling.”
While McGregor has even pushed for a title shot against reigning UFC champion Kamaru Usman in the past, Burns doesn’t see how the Irish superstar could handle anybody near the top of the rankings much less the best fighter in the world.
McGregor currently sports a 2-1 record while competing at 170 pounds but his two wins came over Nate Diaz and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who have both traditionally been lightweight for the vast majority of their careers.
When examining the fighters currently occupying the top spots at welterweight in the UFC, Burns believes everybody is going to be a terrible matchup for McGregor if he actually decides to test himself in the division.
“If you’re talking about the top five in the world, everybody hits hard except Colby [Covington] but everybody can wrestle,” Burns explained. “Colby can wrestle. Colby and Conor is not fun cause Colby would just outwrestle him. Kamaru [Usman], he can hit hard and he can wrestle. Khamzat [Chimaev], he can hit hard and he can wrestle. Leon Edwards, he can hit very hard, good striking and can wrestle. I hit hard and can wrestle so don’t say you’re a welterweight.
