Conor McGregor teases UFC return on release of Legacy title belt

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor set the MMA world abuzz earlier with a simple, three-letter tweet: “Ok I’m back”.

The Irishman’s post came hot on the heels of the UFC unveiling its new championship belt, dubbed the ‘Legacy’ title. It’s clear that McGregor was amongst many observers to be impressed by the sleek new design.

The new belt is to be introduced this weekend and awarded to the winner of Henry Cejudo and TJ Dillashaw, who will fight in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 1 for the flyweight title.

The event marks the commencement of a new TV deal with ESPN, reportedly worth an eye-watering $1.5 billion. As a result, and coupled with the promotion’s recent 25th anniversary, UFC’s top brass decided to introduce the Legacy championship to mark this new era.

Ok I’m back. https://t.co/ogw6m4ZeGE

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 18, 2019

According to a press release, the new title will see the existing belt design, originally introduced in 2001, phased out and retrospectively known as the Classic championship.

From now on, athletes will be awarded a Legacy championship belt upon winning UFC title fights, which will be used throughout their professional career (with multi-weight champions being awarded a belt for each weight division).

The Legacy title will be customised for each fighter with their name, weight class and country flag. Moreover, their subsequent championship fight victories (either in defence or regaining) will be marked with a red stone.

The belt is valued at over three times its predecessor and weighs in at 10.45 lbs. A full infographic detailing its features can be found below:

Let us know your thoughts on the new championship belt design, and Conor McGregor’s tweet, in the comments section.