UFC 196 was thrown for a loop Tuesday morning, as it was reported that lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos suffered a broken foot and will be unable to compete.
Continue for updates.
What dos Anjos’ Injury Means for UFC 196
Tuesday, Feb. 23
According to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, the 31-year-old Brazilian pulled out of his scheduled main event clash with UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor on March 5 after picking up the foot injury last week.
A potential replacement for dos Anjos has yet to be decided.
A similar situation occurred in July prior to McGregor’s UFC featherweight title fight with Jose Aldo. McGregor instead beat Chad Mendes for the interim championship before knocking out Aldo in 13 seconds in December.
The UFC 196 tilt was scheduled to be for the lightweight title, but with the champ now on the shelf, adjustments must be made.
It is unclear if McGregor’s UFC 196 bout will be for the interim UFC lightweight title, but the Irishman recently made it clear that his intention is to continue racking up championships in different weight classes, per SevereMMA (h/t Liam Corless of the Mirror):
I’m coming for that belt, I’m coming for the next belt, I’m coming for the whole company. Why not go up (a weight class)? They get slower, and they get less free up there, they are stiffer, they are even more stuck than the lightweight division. So I’ll keep going, keep eating, keep training and keep going until all the belts are wrapped up. I’m here to fight, I’m here to win every belt and then I’m gone and then I’ll see the game later, I’ll walk away from this game, I’ll set it ablaze and walk away. And that’s it.
The status of the lightweight title may depend upon who McGregor’s replacement opponent is and at which weight they decide to compete.
Former MMA star Cathal Pendred offered a couple of potential solutions that UFC President Dana White may consider on short notice:
While there is no question that the bout had the MMA world buzzing, McGregor’s individual star power should still be enough to sell UFC 196 regardless. It can be argued that there is nobody more popular in combat sports right now.
McGregor still figures to get his shot at Dos Anjos eventually, assuming he defeats his new opponent at UFC 196. That fight may be even bigger due to the added wait that Dos Anjos’ untimely foot injury has necessitated.
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