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Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3: Is Now The Time?

Now that UFC 205 is firmly in the rear view mirror, it’s all about looking ahead. Conor McGregor’s historic victory has led to varying possibilities across multiple divisions, but today we’ll focus on lightweight. Particularly intriguing fights for McGregor include Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz at 155 pounds. With Diaz fans calling out

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Now that UFC 205 is firmly in the rear view mirror, it’s all about looking ahead.

Conor McGregor’s historic victory has led to varying possibilities across multiple divisions, but today we’ll focus on lightweight. Particularly intriguing fights for McGregor include Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz at 155 pounds. With Diaz fans calling out for the trilogy fight, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of McGregor vs. Diaz 3. As with any booking at this level, the ramifications are widespread and often hard to pin down.

Meeting twice in 2016, ‘The Notorious’ and Nate Diaz shared an intense and entertaining rivalry. First doing battle at UFC 196 in an impromptu welterweight clash, the Cesar Gracie grappler turned boxer upset the Irishman in a blaze of glory. Perhaps the weight change impacted his performance, maybe he was just facing the better man on the night, but the reaction was a craving for more. Amid a stream of humorous/hurtful memes and video edits of their first fight, the rematch was instantly booked for UFC 200. Eventually taking place at UFC 202, McGregor vs. Diaz 2 was a wholly different, but equally enthralling affair.

It Ain’t Over

Absurdly fun and thrilling throughout, the UFC 202 main event left the door swinging wide open to a trilogy match. McGregor had won the split decision, fulfilling his desire to beat Diaz in their do-over at 170 pounds. UFC president Dana White shut down calls for a trilogy fight from a frustrated Diaz, but what transpired at UFC 205 has re-energised that trail of thought. Once again this rivalry could prove highly influential on the featherweight division primarily, but also lightweight now.

Filling the number four spot in the official rankings, Diaz sits behind surging contenders Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. This may prove a hurdle if the UFC decides to go ahead with this rematch now, especially considering recent circumstances. Ferguson convincingly defeated former champ Rafael dos Anjos, and ‘The Eagle’ completely steamrolled Michael Johnson at UFC 205. Already stating he’d stir up issues for the UFC if not granted the next title shot, Nurmagomedov is a difficult man to overlook.

Money

We may not like it, some of us may prefer it, but the UFC has been seeking out those big money fights. When this happens, rankings become rather obsolete. Certainly in the case of McGregor’s recent bouts, the promotion has been scheduling fights with the dollar sign ahead of the rankings in priority. This isn’t to cast a negative light on the sport, rather to point out the evolution of MMA into mainstream entertainment.

With that in mind, the time could certainly be right for the McGregor/Diaz trilogy. Would this scrap sell more than any of the other top lightweights right now? Most probably yes, but picture this; what if Nate Diaz wins? He’s already a superstar after their two existing wars, but a title-winning victory over McGregor at his apparently premium weight would send Diaz in to the stratosphere. Outside of the ramifications for the lightweight division or for either man’s career and legacy, what about the featherweight category and title?

Unfinished Business

Although Conor McGregor toppled Jose Aldo with a single strike at UFC 194, there is unfinished business at featherweight with ‘Scarface.’ The Irish striker’s absence from the division has led to an interim title, one that was wrapped around the waist of Aldo at UFC 200. Defeating Frankie Edgar with a decision on July 9, Aldo assured his place in line for the next title shot. Now if McGregor does come back down, fighters like Max Holloway will have to wait.

As long as Aldo has that junior strap, it would be absurd for the promotion to have McGregor fight anyone else at featherweight. Now if McGregor retires the belt, which is in the cards according to Dana White, that frees up the division again. Essentially, a trilogy fight between McGregor and Diaz could free up an incredible pairing of Aldo vs. Holloway for the vacant belt. Who knows, maybe the UFC allows McGregor to keep both belts, maybe he goes for a third.

At this stage anything can happen, so would now be the right time for McGregor vs. Diaz 3? That all depends on which way you look at it, and any fight booking involving McGregor is going to cause ramifications in multiple divisions.

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Conor McGregor Wants Monstrous Payday To Box Floyd Mayweather

In the four days since Conor McGregor’s win over Eddie Alvarez in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., Nov. 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden, much of the talk in the MMA world has been focused on just whom ‘The Notorious’ will fight next. There’s a potential rubber match with Nate Diaz,

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There’s a potential rubber match with Nate Diaz, and even a possible welterweight title fight versus Tyron Woodley, yet the one outrageous prospect that just won’t seem to fade away is his oft-discussed (but hardly realistic) boxing match with undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It could be becoming a bit more realistic after McGregor made history, and indeed the two superstars have kept the hype rolling by throwing smack talk at each other in public interviews. The Irishman continued that last night when he appeared at 1 OAK nightclub in NYC (courtesy of TMZ Sports), proclaiming that Mayweather didn’t want a ‘real fight’ in the DJ booth:

“Floyd’s not ready for this. Much respect to Floyd. He’s a solid businessman on what he’s been able to do. He’s a f**king animal at what he’s been able to do. But as far as real fighting … as far as true pure unarmed combat … Floyd don’t want none of this.”

“He wants a boxing match, he doesn’t want a fight.”I want a $100 million cash to fight him under boxing rules. He’s afraid of a real fight.”

As the biggest name in the UFC by a wide margin right now, McGregor almost made headlines right after his win over Alvarez when he demanded a stake in the UFC after new owners WME-IMG purchased the booming company for a staggering $4.2 billion this summer.

That may sounds like an extremely ridiculous proposition, but if his history in the UFC is any indication, McGregor gets what he wants. Given his recent track record of smashing records each and every fight, his employers may have no choice but meet him at the bargaining table.

The fight with Mayweather, while a distant possibility, is still a possibility, and would be a bout that had the potential to break every modern pay-per-view (PPV) record. It’s also an extremely lofty amount Mayweather’s team may not agree to pay ‘The Notorious.’

Will McGregor vs. Mayweather ever happen? Should it?

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Eddie Alvarez: Conor McGregor Has Fought ‘Subpar’ Opposition

Reigning UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has won eight of his nine UFC bouts to date with seven of those wins coming by way of stoppage, but Eddie Alvarez, who McGregor will challenge for the lightweight title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from New York, isn’t impressed with the Irishman’s resume. Speaking on a recent

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Speaking on a recent conference call to promote UFC 205, the 155-pound champion said that McGregor has faced ‘subpar’ competition:

“The guys he’s picked to fight, these are subpar guys. Even Nate (Diaz) is a .500 lightweight,” Alvarez said.

“Everybody in the lightweight division has beat Nate and he couldn’t He had trouble doing it. The guys he’s faced are nothing of the caliber of the fighter I am. He will see the night of the fight that, ‘shit, I have been going up against shitty opponents that have been good style matchups and this one is not and I’m fucked.”

Alvarez is referencing McGregor’s UFC 196 bout with Diaz in which the Stockton native submitted the “Notorious” one in the second round after accepting the bout on extremely short notice. McGregor went on to avenge that loss at August’s UFC 202, scoring a majority decision victory. Other than his victory over Diaz, McGregor’s notable UFC accomplishments include wins over Chad Mendes and former longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

How do you expect the main event at UFC 205 to play out?

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Glover Teixeira: ‘Rumble’ Johnson Hits Too Hard

Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson hits hard. Just ask Glover Teixeira who ate a nasty knockout strike from the former light heavyweight title challenger that sent his tooth flying and shut his lights out after 13-seconds from the opening bell. The pair met in the co-main event of UFC 202 earlier this past August in a highly-anticipated

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The pair met in the co-main event of UFC 202 earlier this past August in a highly-anticipated 205-pound showdown that was sure to emerge the next challenger for current division champ Daniel Cormier, and it did just that. Teixeira made the unfortunate decision to attempt to stand a trade with one of the most feared strikers in MMA today, and it resulted in him being left unconscious and one tooth short after falling to the Blackzillians product.

Recently Teixeira spoke to AG Fight to discuss the loss to Johnson, stating that the Blackzillian’s team-member has hit him the hardest he has ever been hit in his entire career:

“The fight starts standing, so you have to strike. It’s just like what they told Aldo when he lost to McGregor. There was no time to react, it happens. To be honest, he was the strongest guy to ever hit me. It was the first KO I ever suffered. I had been knocked down in training before where my vision went dark for a little bit, but never like that. He hits too hard and the gloves are very small. Depending on how it hits you, it’s over.”

The flawless performance from Johnson earned him the right to take on Cormier for the light heavyweight title once more, after Cormier choked out ‘Rumble’ in the third round of their initial meeting at UFC 187 back in May of last year.

Cormier and Johnson will meet in the main event of UFC 206 for the light heavyweight title live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 11, 2016.

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Melendez: Nate Diaz Gets McGregor vs. Alvarez Winner Next

UFC 205 is on the horizon and the mixed martial arts (MMA) world is buzzing with anticipation for the ground breaking event in the sport’s history, as UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to make history once again. In the evening’s main event McGregor will challenge Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title in attempt

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In the evening’s main event McGregor will challenge Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title in attempt to become the promotion’s first ever dual-weight champion, as the Irishman currently holds the UFC’s 145-pound title that he won via R1 knockout against Jose Aldo in December of last year. As far as a No. 1-contender goes for the 155-pound title after fight night in New York, lightweight veteran Gilbert Melendez believes his teammate Nate Diaz will get the next title opportunity.

Melendez recently spoke to Champions.co to claim that he believes his fellow Scrap Pack member Diaz will be the obvious candidate for either McGregor or Alvarez next, as he believes that is what the people want to see:

“I think [Nate] fights the winner [of Alvarez vs McGregor],” said Melendez. “We’re talking about business here and how things work … Eddie wins that fight, you know, I think Nate gets that fight. I think Conor wins that fight, I think Nate gets that fight as well.

“I mean, that’s what people want to see and that’s what fills the seats.”

McGregor and Diaz have quite the history with one another, as Diaz is the man who handed the SBG product his first career UFC loss when he tapped the featherweight champ in their welterweight main event scrap at UFC 196 in March. ‘Notorious’ would soon get his revenge, however, as he would engage in a tremendous 25-minute battle with Diaz in their rematch at UFC 202, to which the Irishman would take home the majority decision win in one of the best contests of the year.

With the standings between the two adversaries standing at one a piece at the moment, you can bet the two brash rivals want to bang it out to decide who the best fighter is once and for all.

Diaz and Alvarez have no such history with one another, but interestingly enough ‘The Underground King’ does hold a split decision win over ‘The Pride Of Stockton’s’ teammate Melendez, giving a bit of a story to that potential bout as well.

With Diaz’s new-found level of superstardom after his battles inside the Octagon with McGregor, whoever the former Ultimate Fighter winner takes on next is sure to be quite the show.

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Quote: Conor McGregor’s Lightweight Title Shot Is ‘Bulls***’

The MMA world is definitely awaiting the lightweight title main event between Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez at November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, yet there are still top 155-pound fighters who believe the booking is a bit of a joke. That’s nothing new, however, as McGregor’s leapfrogging of a

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That’s nothing new, however, as McGregor’s leapfrogging of a packed lightweight fray for his third consecutive fight outside of his division – where the belt sits collecting dust since last December – has caused a drawn-out uproar amongst fans and fighters alike ever since it was booked.

One lightweight who shares that sentiment is Michael Chiesa, who currently sits on the sidelines awaiting his recovery from the back injury that forced him out of a potentially great main event against Tony Ferguson this summer.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, ‘Maverick’ had some harsh criticism for ‘Notorious’ and his title shot, believing him to be in over his head as an easy out at 155:

I think it’s bullshit. I feel bad for the guys that have been leaped-frog by him. I do understand that there is an entertainment aspect to the sport and to this promotion, but I think you have to maintain the sport before you let a guy make moves like that. Do I like him being in my weight class? Yeah, because it’s a big money fight and I match up really well against him. I mean, I’d be one body-lock away from subbing him.

“Other than that, it doesn’t really… you know, I just feel bad for the Tony Fergusons, and the Nurmagomedovs, and these guys that have racked up these huge win streaks and they’re getting leaped-frogged by a dude, who really, I mean, we’ll find out if he has any business in our division on November 12, but until then, I don’t think he’s in the right spot. He needs to go back and do what’s right. He’s got Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis in his own weight class to deal with. So I hope Eddie puts him back down to 145, but if not welcome to your new home, welcome to the deep waters.

Chiesa’s far from the first fighter to question McGregor’s ground game, but it’s also difficult to question the Irish champ at least deserving a spot in the stacked 155-pound division, as he just beat top-ranked veteran Nate Diaz in a knockdown barnburner at August’s UFC 202. We’ll soon find out if he can beat the current best lightweight onthe planet, and if he does, a decision will have to be made about which title McGregor will defend next.

He’s already beaten Holloway, and Pettis, despite being an enticing style match-up with McGregor, has only won one fight at 145 pounds after dropping three straight at lightweight. That would mean bouts with Ferguson and/or Nurmagomedov could be on the horizon for ‘Notorious,’ and those would obviously be huge fights that were tough to pick.

With McGregor teasing some significant time off after UFC 205, we may unfortunately never get to see him take on the most dangerous 155-pound talent in the world.

Would he falter like Chiesa thinks he would, or would he rise to the occasion and silence his doubting peers?

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