Why Conor McGregor and Holly Holm make it a perfect time to be an MMA fan

Oh, what a time to be alive! Though not yet officially official, Mixed Martial Arts fans are salivating at the rumored UFC 197 super-fight between featherweight champion Conor McGregor and lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos in March.

Dos Anjos’s lightweight belt will be on the line as McGregor will be attempting to make history by becoming the first two-division champion in UFC history. Typically, if a champion moves up or down a weight class, he or she would have to vacate the title in their current division. But don’t tell that to McGregor, who desires to fight four times a year while defending both belts. On SiriusXM Rush, Luke Thomas explains why McGregor’s quest to do what has never been done benefits the fans more than anyone else..

“You just have to compliment this here, you can’t be against this,” Thomas said. “This is somebody in Conor McGregor who is trying to do something special. He is in a position to do it, and he is pulling the trigger. That’s all you can really ask, in fact you can’t even ask somebody to go and do what he’s doing. You can only sit back and admire. Do you not want to be a witness to the actualization of greatness?”

Also rumored to be on the same card is the return of Holly Holm in her first defense of the women’s bantamweight title against top contender Miesha Tate. Originally assumed to be fighting in an immediate rematch with former champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 200 in July, Holm expressed her desire to remain active in the meantime and it looks like her wish has been granted.

“The queen is back,” Thomas said. “Not content to sit on the sideline, not content to just waste time. She wants to get up there and say, ‘This is my crown, and I will defend it. Bring the challengers, it will not matter. I will sit them down one by one and I will retain this title.’ Thank you, Holly Holm. Love that courage, love that competitive spirit and frankly, love the matchup.”

The UFC has yet to announce the bouts. Listen to the full clip below: