Neil 2 Tap Seery hit the nail on the head with his assessment of the UFC Featherweight dilemma, saying “don’t think Aldo or any of the featherweights will feel like a champion as long as Conor is still active.” It’s like when Muhammad Ali was banned from boxing (and stripped of his title) in 1967 because he objected to the draft. The circumstances were much different, but the results for the sport are similar. Heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell wore the crown while Ali was out, but there was an asterisk in the minds of many because Ali — in his utter prime — wasn’t able to compete. Even if five champs had reigned during Ali’s absence, they’d have all been champs with asterisks.
Don’t think Aldo or any of the featherweights will feel like a champion as long as Conor is still active
— Neil 2 Tap Seery (@NeilSeeryMMA) November 27, 2016
Even the UFC seems to need time to figure out what it’s done. They’re calling the Pettis vs. Holloway fight an interim title fight, but not a certified title fight. Why? That’s what Cole Miller wondered. The UFC installed Jose Aldo, who McGregor crushed, as champ.
If they stripped CM, why is Pettis vs Holloway an interim title fight and not a title fight?
— Cole Miller (@colemillerATT) November 27, 2016
