UFC 196 took a pretty big hit earlier this week when Rafael Dos Anjos had to pull out of the main event due to a broken foot. Conor McGregor was going to be going for history by fighting Dos Anjos, so it is a bit of a bummer that he will not be able to do so on March 5. The UFC responded quickly and filled the void by naming Nate Diaz as Dos Anjos' replacement in the main event, according to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
McGregor is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the UFC, so he is capable of drawing a big audience whenever he fights. His scheduled fight against Dos Anjos held extra weight though because McGregor was set to go for the lightweight championship. McGregor is already the current featherweight champion, but if he would have won against Dos Anjos, he would have been the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time.
Although the ramifications will be lessened with Diaz taking on McGregor in a non-title fight, it shouldn't take away from the entertainment value. Diaz is extremely fun to watch in the octagon, and McGregor wanted Diaz to be his opponent after he found out that Dos Anjos was out, according to Matt Jones of Bleacher Report.
McGregor is currently the champ of the 145-pound weight class but was set to move up to 155 pounds to take on Dos Anjos. Diaz has fought as a lightweight (155 pounds) for the majority of his career, but he has been fighting at 170 pounds (welterweight), lately which is where this fight will happen. Diaz is 2-2 as a welterweight in his career, and this will be McGregor's first fight at that weight.
Diaz and McGregor both last fought on Dec. 19, so the timing makes a lot of sense, as well. McGregor beat Jose Aldo via knockout in his last fight to win the featherweight championship while Diaz beat Michael Johnson by decision on that same day. Despite McGregor fighting as a welterweight for the first time, he will come in as the heavy favorite over Diaz, according to Jesse Holland of MMA Mania.
The fight goes down on March 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as part of the UFC's pay-per-view event. The co-main event in this one should also be very good, as Holly Holm defends her title for the first time since beating Ronda Rousey. Miesha Tate will be her opponent, and although we won't get to see two title fights in one night, it should still be well worth the watch.
