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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