Johnson reveals how Conor McGregor vacated UFC title to box Floyd Mayweather

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Conor McGregor is putting his mixed martial arts (MMA) duties on hold to try his luck in the “sweet science,” courtesy of next month’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. boxing match in Las Vegas.

More on that silliness here.

In the process, “Notorious” vacated his lightweight strap, according to No. 5-ranked contender Michael Johnson, who insists the promotion no longer has a champion at 155 pounds.

“We don’t have a champ in this division,” Johnson told MMAjunkie. “Once Conor signed that contract to go box, to me, he vacated the title. That’s how it should be. I’ve beaten two of the top guys up there. I want to make a strong case for fighting for a title or an interim title. I think that’s in my future.”

Johnson has a pretty good argument.

That’s because “The Menace” was able to capture victories over No. 2-ranked Tony Ferguson and No. 4-ranked Edson Barboza. What he’s lacking at this point in his career is consistency.

No time like the present.

Ferguson headlines The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 25 Finale this Friday night (July 7, 2017) in “Sin City” (details), and a win over Justin Gaethje could go a long way in getting him back into the lightweight title hunt.

Time will tell.