Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather no closer as boxing licence may just be a power move against the UFC

Is it a surprise that McGregor has successfully applied for a boxing licence less than a week after being stripped of his UFC lightweight championship?

Conor McGregor's acquisition of a boxing license may just be a power move against the UFC (Getty)

Just days after being stripped of his UFC featherweight belt, Conor McGregor has finally made his first move.

It was revealed on Wednesday night by Brett Okamoto on ESPN that McGregor has been issued a boxing licence in the state of California, according to his management team.

Additional details would later revealed that he is also seeking out additional licences in other states as well.

Andy Foster, executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission simply stated

"He's qualified [as a boxer]," Foster said. "I'd love to see him fight in California. It just needs to be the right opponent. Certainly a high-level opponent. We're happy to licence him. We're happy he's a California fighter."

But why has he done this?

While this could ultimately be a move to truly pursue the sport of boxing in the near future, there is also the possibility that this is the latest power play by the UFC's biggest star.

This news comes just days after the UFC unceremoniously stripped McGregor of his featherweight title that he won less than 12 months ago. He remains the UFC lightweight champion, however, sources have confirmed that McGregor was not made aware or asked about the decision before it was taken.

Both McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr have been teasing a 'superfight' via the media, however, prior to what other news outlets have told you there are no concrete plans as of yet for a fight between the two to take place.

McGregor's silence says it all

Perhaps, instead of taking to social media this time, McGregor took to the CSAC to apply for a boxing licence to get the UFC’s attention.

If his intentions were to ruffle the feathers of the UFC brass, it may prove to be effective. Ultimately, however, while under contract with the UFC, McGregor’s promotional rights in combat sports are theirs and theirs alone. For McGregor to step inside of the boxing ring, he would need the blessing of the UFC, which is likely to be very reluctant to put their biggest star on loan for a potentially damaging endeavor.

Conor McGregor's reign as a dual-division champion lasted little more than two weeks (Getty)

If the match-up in question is indeed against Mayweather, the amount of money at stake could be record breaking, but at what potential cost to the UFC?

If McGregor becomes licenced in the state of Nevada, things could get interesting, because Las Vegas is the only place Floyd Mayweather would consider stepping into the ring.

Regardless of how many times Mayweather has been on record, stating that he is done with fighting in recent months – money is Floyd’s second language, and he certainly has been keen on making the fight happen in the past.

For now, take the news of McGregor becoming a licenced boxer as just that – an accepted application.

We won't know McGregor's intentions with this move until he chooses to let us know and for the minute at least, we have no idea when that is going to be.