With Conor McGregor officially ruled out, it appears Nate Diaz won’t get a replacement opponent for UFC 200.
Diaz (19-10 MMA, 14-8 UFC) upset featherweight champion McGregor (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a non-title welterweight bout last month at UFC 196, and they were scheduled to rematch at the big July 9 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas. However, with McGregor and UFC officials at odds, UFC President Dana White definitively stated on Monday that McGregor won’t be part of the card.
During a press conference last week in Las Vegas, Diaz said he’s interested only in fighting McGregor at UFC 200:
With that UFC 200 matchup not happening, Diaz said he’s made other plans and is “happy to announce I’m going on vacation” (via Twitter):
He also retweeted some slick street art commemorating his already-legendary post-UFC 196 quip after he choked out McGregor (via YouTube and Twitter):
As for McGregor, UFC 200 isn’t in the cards (despite Monday’s assertion he was). But White apparently is optimistic the Irishman will eventually return to the cage – and soon after UFC 200, as he told TMZ Sports.
“He’ll fight (at UFC) 201, 202, 203 – whatever,” he said. “I don’t know when. We’ll get it figured out.”
That’s assuming, of course, that McGregor, who announced a short-lived retirement last week, can find middle ground with UFC officials. McGregor had demanded a lighter PR schedule for UFC 200, and he’s likely to have similar demands for other future fights.
For more on UFC 200, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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