The UFC 196 main event was supposed to be Conor McGregor’s chance to make history. However, Rafael dos Anjos’ foot injury has forced everyone to turn to “Plan B.”
Instead of making his lightweight debut, McGregor now will move up to the welterweight division to fight Nate Diaz in a non-title bout at the pay-per-view on March 5 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
McGregor, who beat Jose Aldo for the undisputed featherweight championship at UFC 194, was set to move up a weight class and challenge dos Anjos for his lightweight title. If he had won, McGregor would have been the first fighter to hold championships in multiple weight classes at the same time. But dos Anjos had to back out less than two weeks before the fight due to the injury.
The McGregor-Diaz bout will close out an event that also features women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm in her first title defense against Miesha Tate.
Thumbnail photo via Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports Images
