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Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2: Latest News, Rumors on Potential Rematch

Ultimate Fighting Championship stars Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are reportedly on a collision course to stage their much-anticipated rematch at UFC 200 on July 9.
According to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, the two will clash once again in …

Ultimate Fighting Championship stars Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are reportedly on a collision course to stage their much-anticipated rematch at UFC 200 on July 9.

According to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, the two will clash once again in a non-title welterweight fight, which would hand The Notorious his chance at redeeming himself following a shock second-round defeat to Diaz at UFC 196.

Featherweight duo Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo have been vying for their shots at McGregor if he were to drop back down in weight, but it’s reported a second bout between the Irishman and Diaz is almost finalised.

McGregor entered his UFC 196 bout opposite Diaz as a firm favourite, with Rafael Dos Anjos having been forced out of his scheduled fight with The Notorious due to a broken foot.

Despite taking the fixture on with just 11 days notice, Diaz shocked the mixed martial arts masses by submitting McGregor via a rear-naked choke in the second round. It was the Irishman’s first defeat in the UFC.

It wasn’t long after that loss that The Notorious expressed his desire to set up a rematch with Diaz, however, and he told TMZ he’d be back “with a vengeance,” (h/t David St. Martin of MMAFighting.com):

I’m ready to go again. I had a great time. It was a good fight, a hell of a fight. I look forward to coming back with a vengeance.

I think I’d like to see that, yea? I mean, it’s one that interests me, most certainly. You know, when I look at the fight, I was winning the fight. I won the first round and a half, I feel. I’d love to get that one back. We’ll see how it goes. Money talks. Life is good.

Having lost that duel at the welterweight limit of 170 pounds, the general consensus was that McGregor would move back closer to featherweight, where he stills reigns as division champion.

However, it appears as though he’s ready to ignore a potential rematch opposite Aldo, whom he knocked out after 13 seconds at UFC 194, as well as Edgar, who has actively been chasing a date opposite the Irishman:

Redemption against Diaz seems to ride as the highest priority in McGregor’s mind, though, and the report that this bout will again come at welterweight shows the 27-year-old is adamant to embrace his heavier frame.

Diaz appeared at the UFC 196 post-fight press conference sporting a selection of scars earned during the biggest win of his career, but he insisted the jump in weight had nothing to with McGregor’s loss, per Spanish daily AS:

For The Notorious, the reported rematch will be about little else other than revenge as he goes about proving to the mixed martial arts world that he is indeed good enough to accomplish the feat he set out to achieve.

However, Bleacher Report’s Patrick Wyman questioned the UFC’s decision to book this fight as reported, with other options on the table for both fighters:

While the status of the tie may be limited by the fact no belt rests on the line, there’s still a great deal of intrigue involved, not least of which is the potential risk of the ever-confident McGregor seeing his ego hit once again.

Diaz will hope to ensure that isn’t the only thing struck come July 9, and the welterweight regular may feel even more confident ahead of a rematch, where he’d be given the benefit of a full training camp.

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George Groves Wants ‘Crack’ at Conor McGregor, Comments on Potential MMA Career

Former European, British and Commonwealth super-middleweight boxing champion George Groves has proclaimed he would “love to have a crack” at Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Conor McGregor.
Speaking at the launch EA Sports UFC 2 this …

Speaking at the launch EA Sports UFC 2 this week, Groves commented on a potential career in mixed martial arts and said McGregor didn’t prepare properly for his defeat to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 (h/t Bruce Archer of the Daily Express):

If McGregor is going to float around my weight and wants to do a pay-per-view fight and he wants to swear at me and call me names then I’d love to have a crack (at him).

I think it’d make for a very interesting fight. And as I say, with him being predominantly a striker that’s a huge thing as well.

So he ain’t gonna try and take me down. Unless he’s tired and he wants to tap out.

Groves’ career has diverted away from the boxing spotlight since he suffered back-to-back defeats against Carl Froch in 2013 and 2014, while McGregor himself is at a low after conceding his first loss in the UFC.

Saint paid his respects to the Irish MMA star before going on to outline his view that McGregor was lacking in preparation for his bout opposite Diaz, where he lost via rear-naked choke in the second round:

I like him. He’s ballsy and nuts and he doesn’t care.

I think he was unfit for that last fight, he looked it to me anyway.

He’s always out and about and he’s always up to something. Really, if I was in a big fight, you’re in the gym and you’re in bed. It’s a boring life, you enjoy it after your fight or you enjoy it after you career – not in-between.

It’d be hard to be him I’m sure. But I think probably losing will be the best thing for him now because then he’ll know he can’t get away with the stuff he’s probably got away with before.

You don’t know that you’re doing something wrong until you make a mistake.

The Notorious has become a high-profile character since rising to the throne of mixed martial arts in the last few years, and it’s no secret the trash-talk veteran embraces the limelight showered upon him.

That trend didn’t change leading up to the Diaz fight earlier in March, where McGregor made the move up to 170 pounds after lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos—his original UFC 196 opponent—was forced to pull out with a broken foot.

Groves further enticed his potential MMA followers and stated his intention to “slip off somewhere to hide in and do a year’s worth of training,” almost akin to Rocky Balboa’s style of preparation to face Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.

Another high-profile name currently making his transition to MMA from another sport is former World Wrestling Entertainment star CM Punk. Punk—real name Phillip Brooks—is set to face Mickey Gall in his debut, but MMA writer Jim Edwards has voiced concern with this sort of “experiment”:

By some coincidence, it was Diaz’s boxing proficiency that helped him submit McGregor and hand him his first defeat since 2010, and perhaps Groves feels he’d be able to employ similar tactics were he to make an MMA transition.

At 27 years of age, Groves wouldn’t be considered too old to transfer from one combat sport to another, but calling out one of the best in the business is an audacious move on his part:

In boxing, the super-middleweight limit of 168 pounds would be most closely compared to the welterweight limit of 170 pounds in mixed martial arts, and it was here that McGregor suffered his first UFC defeat.

It’s more than likely the Dubliner will seek to move back down closer to featherweight, where he’s more familiar, for his next bout. Meanwhile, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn recently confirmed Groves is set to make his return to the ring next month against undefeated Scot David Brophy:

Groves admitted he has a long way to go before he’d be competent against “guys who do Jiu-Jitsu and wrestlers,” but he’s already versed in the combat sports world and appears willing to graft.

It may be a long, long time before Saint George is ready to adapt his boxing roots and embrace a more rounded combat sport, but McGregor may be willing to give the Briton a not-so-warm welcome if he does.

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Conor McGregor Comments on Nate Diaz Rematch and Justin Bieber

Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Conor McGregor has confirmed he wants a rematch against UFC 196 opponent Nate Diaz and is open to having celebrity fan Justin Bieber in his corner for a future bout.
Speaking to TMZ in Beverly Hills this weekend…

Speaking to TMZ in Beverly Hills this weekend, McGregor reiterated he thought he was beating Diaz prior to suffering a second-round defeat via rear-naked choke, and he hopes to earn redemption against the Stockton fighter:

The full transcription of McGregor’s comments on a potential rematch read: “I think I’d like to see that, yeah. It’s one that interests me most certainly. When I look at the fight, I was winning the fight. I won the first round and a half, I feel. I’d love to get that one back.”

The Notorious was unsuccessful on his welterweight debut after making a 25-pound weight jump against Diaz, who filled in as a late replacement for Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196.

McGregor was also quizzed on the possibility of following Floyd Mayweather’s lead and having Bieber accompany him on a walk-out to the Octagon in future, to which he replied: “Yeah, sure, why not?”

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Jose Aldo Rejects Offer to Replace Rafael Dos Anjos vs Conor McGregor at UFC 196

It’s been revealed that Jose Aldo will not be the man to step in and take Rafael dos Anjos’ place opposite Conor McGregor at UFC 196 after his coach asserted the fighter isn’t in any shape to take a rematch.
Aldo’s coach and manager, Andre Pederne…

It’s been revealed that Jose Aldo will not be the man to step in and take Rafael dos Anjos‘ place opposite Conor McGregor at UFC 196 after his coach asserted the fighter isn’t in any shape to take a rematch.

Aldo’s coach and manager, Andre Pederneiras, spoke to Brazilian outlet Combate after it was announced Dos Anjos had broken his foot 11 days prior to his scheduled meeting against The Notorious, per MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.

He said, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting: “Dana [White] called me, telling what happened and asking if Aldo was in shape to fight. I said he wasn’t and that there wasn’t enough time, and unfortunately he wouldn’t be able to fight next week.”

It was, of course, Aldo who McGregor defeated at UFC 194, stopping the former featherweight champion in 13 seconds. According to Cruz, Scarface would only return to the Octagon for a title fight, and a rematch with McGregor is reportedly on his agenda for the future.

As far as replacements go, the UFC could have done a lot worse than a rematch between Aldo and McGregor, a fixture some feel still has questions unanswered following their first bout.

Earlier on Tuesday, Fox Sports commentator Jon Anik spoke of his interest at seeing a second fight between the pair, one which would hopefully last more than 13 seconds this time around:

There was also a sense of deja vu involving Aldo; it was only 12 days prior to their scheduled bout at UFC 189 that he pulled out due to a broken rib, and this time, it was compatriot Dos Anjos bowing out a similar time from the date.

Dos Anjos’ exit from the card marks the fourth time in McGregor’s eight UFC fights he’s faced a different opponent than the one originally scheduled, provided he still fights at UFC 196.

True to style, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was quick to register his interest in taking Dos Anjos’ place in the fight, according to FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin, and his manager, Josh Jones, has already contacted the UFC.

The UFC’s options regarding who to elect as a Dos Anjos replacement are limited, especially with featherweight contender Frankie Edgar currently injured—the man who would appear next most likely to take the spot.

Former UFC fighter and McGregor’s compatriot, Cathal Pendred, ran through some of the other likely contenders to step up to the plate, with Nate Diaz and Cerrone the most viable candidates:

We may one day see McGregor and Aldo do battle once again, but it isn’t likely to come about until Notorious feels he’s had his fill of whatever other challenges lie on his horizon.

For now, McGregor and the mixed-martial arts community as a whole waits to discover the identity of his UFC 196 opponent.

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CM Punk Hits out in Interview over Switch from WWE to UFC

In the latest episode of his transition from World Wrestling Entertainment to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, CM Punk has hit out at the “boring” questions regarding his decision to switch sports.
In an interview with Kevin Wong of Complex&nbs…

In an interview with Kevin Wong of Complex magazine, Punk, real name Phillip Brooks, took umbrage with the question of whether he was “anxious or intimidated” moving from professional wrestling to mixed martial arts. Below is an extract of the conversation that followed:

Punk: “I get this question a lot, and it’s like you guys think I’m an idiot. Like I didn’t know MMA wasn’t pre-determined or something like that. Have you ever tweeted at me, ‘Hey, do you know what you’re getting into?’”

Wong: “I never have.”

Punk: “Okay. It sounds like you might have.”

Wong: “I don’t mean to put you on the defensive…”

Punk: “I’m not on the defensive. Your question is insulting. You’re asking me if I know the difference between the WWE and the UFC?”

Punk is an unknown quantity in the UFC, having spent his entire athletic career under numerous wrestling promotions before making the rise to WWE’s training camps in 2005 and eventually retiring in 2014.

Since then, the 36-year-old has appeared eager to push the belief that he’s capable of much more in mixed martial arts. When Wong posed the question of how he’d answer “fans who question his motives for going into MMA,” Punk’s response turned sour and ridden with expletives:

Punk: “You say my fans say that? You’re mistaken. My fans do not say that. I wouldn’t say anything to them [my critics]. I don’t justify stupidity with an answer. I don’t give a s–t what anybody thinks of me, whether I’m going to fight or not. I know what I’m going to do.

If I did anything in my life based on someone’s negative opinion on me, I would never f—–g leave my house. My fans are people who don’t tweet negative s–t at me.”

It was way back in December 2014 that Punk announced he had signed a “multi-fight” contract with the UFC, the leading brand in mixed martial arts, despite having never fought professionally to this date.

The reaction to his decision to make the move across in combat sports has largely drawn a negative reaction from fans, but Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden praised Punk for his bravery:

Complex‘s Wong was reportedly told by Punk’s representatives after their interview the fighter wished to never talk to the reporter again, evidence of just how angered he was by their confrontation.

UFC President Dana White has already announced Punk will fight fellow UFC newcomer Mickey Gall in his MMA debut later this year—providing the latter defeats Mike Jackson at UFC Fight Night 82 this Saturday.

Gall announced himself to White during filming for the UFC figurehead’s series, Dana White: Looking For a Fight, after spotting the president outside the Octagon, as shown by UFC Europe:

He’s since been afforded his chance to enter the promotion from the bottom rung, whereas potential opponent Punk may be seen as coming from the opposite direction.

Speaking on the Grant and Danny Show this week, White also confirmed it will be up to Punk whether he fights again should he suffer defeat in his mixed martial arts bow (h/t Fox Sports’ Damon Martin):

That’s going to be up to him. So CM Punk was a wrestler in the WWE, he was a big fan of the UFC and he ended up leaving the WWE and he said ‘Dana, my dream is to fight in the UFC, I want to fight in the UFC, will you let me fight?’ so we’re giving him a fight. We’re bringing in a kid who has obviously a little more experience than he does, if he wins this fight this Saturday he’ll be 2-0 and Punk is 0-0. We’ll see how it goes for him.

He will decide what he wants to do after that.

It’s been a long year since Punk first revealed he’d be coming to the UFC, and interviews have provided our only glimpse at the fighter who, by this summer, will have had more than 18 months to prepare for his debut.

The Chicago native has made it clear he knows what’s being asked of him in MMA; now, all he needs to do is enter the Octagon and back up those words.

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Chuck Liddell Says He’s Open to Training Ronda Rousey Ahead of UFC Return

Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell has proclaimed he’ll train Ronda Rousey “any time she wants,” noting the former women’s bantamweight champion is in need of aid with her striking.
The Iceman was approached by TMZ in San Franci…

The Iceman was approached by TMZ in San Francisco this week, where he noted the gulf in quality between Rousey’s striking and that of “professional striker” Holly Holm, who defeated her via second-round knockout at UFC 193 in November:

It was a thunderous head kick from Holm that saw Rowdy crumple to the floor as she suffered her first UFC defeat almost three months ago, reminding the 29-year-old as to where she has work left to do.

As far as striking coaches go, Rousey could do a lot worse than Liddell, who holds the record for most knockouts in the UFC, with 13 from his 23 bouts under the promotion’s banner.

Until she came up against Holm, Rousey had gone past the first round just once in her professional career and gained a particular reputation for her submissions, winning her first eight fights via armbar.

Men’s Fitness writer Joel Snape described her clinch game as “phenomenal,” but conceded Rousey has a lot to work on when it comes to stand-up compared to the likes of Holm:

Liddell was also quizzed on the controversy surrounding Rousey’s trainer Edmond Tarverdyan, who was suspended for three months by the California State Athletic Commission this week for falsifying documents, per Sherdog.

Rousey’s future with the trainer is in doubt after he was also handed three years’ probation and a $5,000 fine, which Sherdog outlined as prevented him from cornering “in California or in any other states that are members of the Association of Boxing Commissions.”

Presumably not impressed with the approach taken to train his fighter for the Holm fixture, Liddell appeared to make fun of the suspended Tarverdyan when asked for his opinion on the latest developments: “Is that the guy who told her she could out-strike Holly Holm? Is that the same guy who said she could out-strike Holly Holm, a real striker?”

As well as being an apparent dig at Tarverdyan, those comments reinforced the notion Lidell believes stand-up to be Rousey’s real weakness, or at least she should have made a better attempt to take Holm to the ground.

Snape also called into question whether Rowdy had perhaps been lulled into a false comfort at Tarverdyan’s gym when asked about the prospect of Rousey having a tune-up bout before making her return:

Speaking on The Neighbourhood radio show earlier this week, UFC president Dana White said Rousey will “probably” return to the octagon in November, where she’ll take on the victor of Holm and Miesha Tate’s bout on March 5 (h/t ESPN’s Brett Okamoto).

It’s been almost six years since Liddell took his leave of the UFC, but one of mixed martial arts’ most respected fighters ever would undoubtedly have much to teach one of the current generation’s heavy hitters.

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