Eight Straight, No Title Shot?

In the opening bout of the Pay-Per-View portion of UFC 194, Max Holloway defeated Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision.  It was in my opinion the least spectacular fight on the main card, and with two new champions being crowned later that evening, it’s understandable that this fight didn’t receive much press. However there is something about this fight worth mentioning: Holloway earned his eight consecutive win in the Octagon, entering a five-way tie for the fifth most consecutive wins in UFC history.

The other four fighters that share this accomplishment are Jon Fitch, Gray Maynard, Lyoto Machida, and Donald Cerrone.  They all have something in common: winning eight consecutive fights earned them a shot at the title (Machida got his after the seventh win).  Fitch and Maynard failed to win the belt, and we will see how Cerrone fares in his rematch with the champion Rafael dos Anjos next Saturday, but that is beside the point.  The point being that if Holloway’s next fight is not for the featherweight gold, he will become the first fighter in history to reach the 8-win streak benchmark in UFC and not be rewarded with a title shot.

The featherweight title picture looks a bit murky at the moment.  Conor McGregor just took the belt from Jose Aldo with a 13 second, one-punch knockout.  And immediately upon winning, McGregor claimed that he wants to go up in weight and face the winner of Cerrone – Dos Anjos.  However he also claims that he does not want to relinquish the featherweight gold.  While Dana White promised to grant Conor’s wish for a superfight with the lightweight champion, White also does not like to see belts sitting vacant, so if McGregor really does move up in weight for his next fight it is likely that a new champion – or at least another interim champion – will be crowned at 145 lbs.  If that is the case, Max Holloway vs Frankie Edgar would be the best fight to make for the featherweight title, interim or not.

If McGregor does stay at 145, there are basically three viable options for his next opponent.  Former champion Jose Aldo has already asked for a rematch, and it’s difficult to say that he doesn’t deserve one after successfully defending his title seven times.   Frankie Edgar has capped off a five-win streak on Friday’s ‘The Ultimate Fighter 22’ finale card with a first-round knockout win over Chad Mendes.  Edgar’s current run also includes stoppages of BJ Penn and Cub Swanson, and one-sided decision wins over Urijah Faber and Charles Oliveira.  An impressive resume, and Dana White agreed that the former lightweight champion should get the next crack at the featherweight gold. And then there is Holloway with his eight wins, six of them being stoppages.  While he didn’t make as big of a statement in his win over Stephens as Edgar did by knocking out Mendes, Holloway is also the only man to go the distance with McGregor in Conor’s UFC career.

What do you think, readers?  Will McGregor really go up to 155 to face the winner of Dos Anjos vs Cerrone, and if so, will he relinquish or be stripped of the featherweight title?  Or will an interim title be created again?  And if McGregor stays at 145, who should be his next opponent: Edgar, Aldo, or Holloway?  Will Holloway become the first UFC fighter to win eight consecutive bouts and not be rewarded with a title shot?  So many questions… one thing is for sure, the featherweight division just got really interesting.