After a day of waiting and speculating when UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos was forced out of his UFC 196 showdown with Conor McGregor due to a broken foot, the promotion has finally decided just whom ‘The Notorious’ will face.
An announcement from UFC President Dana White came on ESPN this evening that McGregor will square off with Nate Diaz at the March 5 event from Las Vegas.
The fight will go down at welterweight with Diaz having little time to make a drastic cut to 155 pounds. McGregor has repeatedly teased a move up to 170 pounds to take on Robbie Lawler after he won the lightweight strap, but his move up was hastened by dos Anjos’ injury.
There was talk that would also replace dos Anjos, and White confirmed that Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo, the two fighters who had perhaps been the most vocal about supposedly deserving a fight with McGregor, refused to accept the short notice match-up.
White said that the UFC ultimately decided that Diaz was the more exciting fight and the one McGregor wanted after fighters like Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Urijah Faber, and BJ Penn all offered to fight ‘The Notorious’ in Vegas.
McGregor and Diaz do have some history, as Diaz famously called McGregor out in an expletive-laced tirade after he thoroughly beat Michael Johnson at December’s UFC on FOX 17. Fans may have wanted to witness what would have been one of the most trash talk-filled buildups in UFC history, but at least the fight is taking place in the first place.
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