CONOR McGREGOR OFFICIALLY has a new opponent for UFC 196.
McGregor, the reigning UFC featherweight champion, was due to face UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in 10 days’ time in a bid to become the first fighter in history to hold two UFC belts at the same time.
However, dos Anjos withdrew from the bout yesterday due to a foot injury. Several fighters immediately offered their services as a replacement opponent for McGregor, but the UFC confirmed the Dubliner’s next rival overnight.
At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, 5 March, McGregor will take on 21-fight UFC veteran Nate Diaz in a five-round welterweight bout. There’s no longer a title on the line but the fight will still act as the UFC 196 main event, despite being on the same bill as the women’s bantamweight title bout between Holly Holm and Miesha Tate.
McGregor became the UFC featherweight champion back in December when he took just 13 seconds to knock Jose Aldo out at UFC 194. He’s now making a significant leap up in weight for this next outing, going from 145lbs to 170lbs to take on Diaz.
The 27-year-old Irish star has recently expressed an interest in eventually competing in the welterweight division. That move is about to happen much sooner than expected.
Diaz has competed at lightweight throughout his career but it seems the 30-year-old Californian would have been unable to cut down to make the 155lbs limit on such short notice, so a welterweight bout has been agreed.
Having been out of action for a year, Diaz — who’s ranked fifth at lightweight — returned in December with an impressive unanimous-decision victory against Michael Johnson.
A former winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Diaz currently has a record of 18-10 but he has only been stopped twice — a TKO against Josh Thomson in April 2013 and a submission at the hands of Hermes França in a WEC bout back in October 2006.
Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com reported via Twitter that McGregor had no hesitation in accepting the fight, despite the drastic change in circumstances.
McGregor and Diaz are expected to meet at a media event in California this evening.
