McGregor vs. Diaz rematch set for UFC 200; Aldo meets Edgar for interim 145 title
- from MMA Junkie on Mar 30, 2016
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UFC officials today confirmed one of MMA’s worst-kept secrets of late: Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz will rematch in July at UFC 200.
But in a new development, with McGregor not defending his featherweight title, an interim 145-pound belt will be on the line at the event: Former champion Jose Aldo (25-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) will meet former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC), and the winner will move on to a featherweight title unification fight with McGregor down the line.
McGregor (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Diaz’s (19-10 MMA, 14-8 UFC) welterweight rematch will headline UFC 200. Their first meeting earlier this month at UFC 196 also took place at welterweight. It is not yet known of the Edgar-Aldo fight, also a rematch, will be the co-main event. Also made official for the card is a lightweight fight between Joe Lauzon (25-11 MMA, 12-8 UFC) and Diego Sanchez (26-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC).
The historic UFC 200 event takes place July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
McGregor is ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings (and No. 5 pound-for-pound). Diaz is No. 6 at lightweight. Aldo is No. 2 at featherweight after his 13-second knockout loss to McGregor at UFC 194, and Edgar is No. 3.
In UFC 196’s headliner, Diaz forced McGregor to tap out to a rear-naked choke in their non-title welterweight bout.
Although McGregor bloodied his opponent in the opening round, Diaz rallied in the second to blast him with punches, force the fight to the mat, and secure the bout-ending submission. It proved to be one of the biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history.
Despite the victory, Diaz, who took the bout on less than two weeks’ notice after lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos suffered a foot injury, recently opened as a small underdog in the expected rematch.
Edgar has been pining for a title shot against McGregor, including accusing the featherweight champ of ducking him by choosing the potential for a rematch with Diaz instead of defending his 145-pound title. Edgar has had a title shot before. He lost a decision to Aldo at UFC 156, which was the last time he dropped a fight. Since then, the former lightweight champ has won five straight, including a knockout of Chad Mendes in December at the TUF 22 Finale. Aldo’s loss to McGregor was his first in more than 10 years.
The latest UFC 200 card includes:
- Champ Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz – non-title bout
- Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar – for interim featherweight title
- Travis Browne vs. Cain Velasquez
- Derek Brunson vs. Gegard Mousasi
- Joe Lauzon vs. Diego Sanchez
For more on UFC 200, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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