mobanmarketAriel Helwani reported this morning that UFC is working toward a rematch with Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz, at welterweight no less, as the main event for UFC 200 on July 9 at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Helwani reported the UFC is close to finalizing plans for the match.
This would be a major blow to Frankie Edgar, as just last week Dana White indicated the match that made the most sense going forward was McGregor defending the featherweight title against Edgar. McGregor himself, after his loss to Diaz, said he’d decide whether more people would be interested in Edgar or Jose Aldo, and that’s he was looking at defending his title against one of them. He gave the impression that he thought Aldo would have more interest but was leery if Aldo wouldn’t pull out before the fight.
McGregor vs. Diaz would also eliminate the possibility of Robbie Lawler vs. Diaz, a fight that both White and Fertitta talked about for the welterweight title.
Based on the results of UFC 196, McGregor vs. Diaz would be the best drawing fight for UFC 200 even without a title at stake. Plus, there would be longer to build the fight. For McGregor, he’d be facing Diaz with a full camp, making his odds of winning even longer.
It also puts the featherweight division on hold and almost forces an Aldo vs. Edgar match for the title shot, which would eliminate a contender.