LAS VEGAS – The UFC featherweight division could get a fresh look if champion Conor McGregor is victorious in his welterweight bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 196.

While non-committal about the situation, UFC President Dana White on Friday told reporters at an “EA UFC 2” video game press event that McGregor’s (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) time at 145 pounds could be over if he gets past Diaz (18-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC) on Saturday.

“I think if he wins impressively tomorrow he doesn’t even go back to 145 – that’s what I think,” White told MMAjunkie. “That weight cut is horrible for him. He looks terrible. I’m sure he feels terrible. I think he stays at 170 if he wins tomorrow.”

UFC 196 takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. McGregor vs. Diaz headlines the main card and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Earlier this week, McGregor said that after Diaz, his sights are set on UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler (27-10 MMA, 12-4 UFC). Although “The Notorious” holds UFC gold at 145 pounds, he’s set to make the leap to 170 pounds for the showdown with Diaz.

It appears the Irishman is enjoying the lead-up to a fight free of a harsh weight cut, and if he manages to beat Diaz, there’s a good chance he could get a shot at Lawler in his next bout, according to White.

Although McGregor has set the goal of being the first to hold two UFC belts simultaneously, White said it’s unlikely he would allow McGregor to hold the featherweight belt hostage for too long if he never intends to defend it. And he thinks McGregor would be fine with that, as well.

“That would be a non-issue if he wasn’t going to go back,” White said. “When you’re dealing with Conor McGregor, he’s a smart guy. He gets business. He’s not unreasonable about anything, and he will fight anybody, anywhere, anytime. How could anybody have a problem with that?

“When you’re dealing with super-talented people, they’re always going to be quirky and different in their own ways, but no matter what you are, when you act and fight and will step up for anything the way Conor does, you can’t deny the kid.”

White said at this point the discussion of McGregor dropping his UFC belt is purely hypothetical. The UFC boss said he’s yet to discuss exactly what the future holds for McGregor, and likely won’t until after UFC 196.

“We’ve had no conversation,” White said.

To see Friday’s full media scrum with White, click on the video below. Or to hear his comments on McGregor, check out the video above.

For more on UFC 196, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.