Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has reportedly withdrawn from his fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 196 due to injury.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported the Brazilian’s withdrawal on Tuesday, with the event scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on March 5. “According to multiple sources, dos Anjos broken a foot late last week, forcing him to pull out of the lightweight title fight against McGregor,” Helwani reported.
The news will be a significant blow to MMA fans with the bout so close. It was set to be a history-making occasion, too, as a McGregor win would have seen him become the first fighter in the UFC’s existence to have held two titles from two different weight classes.
It leaves UFC 196 with a huge chasm to fill at the top of the card, and Helwani outlined some of the replacement options for McGregor, although it appears a showdown with featherweight star Frankie Edgar is not on the agenda:
The Irishman, one would suspect, will be hugely disappointed, especially as this is the second time in three bouts an illustrious opponent has pulled the plug so close to fight night; in his last eight matchups, the man set to face McGregor has dropped out on four occasions.
Indeed, Jose Aldo withdrew in the buildup to their scheduled showdown at UFC 189, with Chad Mendes stepping in at late notice. McGregor knocked out Aldo’s replacement before famously beating the Brazilian himself at UFC 194 inside 13 seconds.
McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, posted the following on his Twitter feed in the minutes after the report surfaced:
Donald Cerrone just fought on Sunday, submitting Alex Oliveira in the first round, but he’s known for taking fights at short notice and has got history with McGregor. As we can see here, the Irishman has been involved in verbal jousting with the man known as the Cowboy in the buildup to other bouts, (Warning: Includes expletive language):
Nate Diaz, also mentioned by Helwani as an option for McGregor, would be another intriguing lightweight test. He won his last bout against Michael Johnson on Dec. 19, but, as is the case with Cerrone, he was well beaten by dos Anjos, too.
Edgar would be a massive challenge for McGregor, and that’s a featherweight fight plenty would be keen to see, especially after the American disposed of Mendes with such ease. However, it seems as though that showdown is unlikely at this stage, especially given the Irishman is well into the lightweight cut at this juncture.
Still, none of these fighters can offer McGregor what dos Anjos did: another title belt and a chance to make history.
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