The recent news of a potential rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor at UFC 200 isn’t going over so well in some circles.
Especially among the UFC’s featherweight division.
Most understand why Diaz and McGregor are likely to square off once again. Their first fight, at UFC 196, was exciting, a smashing success at the box office and in online buzz. With Ronda Rousey not returning soon and rumors of a Georges St-Pierre return not (yet) true, Diaz-McGregor 2 is the highest-profile available matchup for what promises to be a landmark event in Las Vegas on July 9.
But there’s been a strong undercurrent of criticism over the fact that going with this rematch, which is expected to be contested at welterweight, means that McGregor’s featherweight title will once again be put on hold.
And the rank and file fighters at 145 pounds aren’t thrilled about it.
The latest to speak up is former longtime champion Jose Aldo Jr., who has tried to goad McGregor to come back to the division and tossed some incendiary verbiage his way in the process.
"You will come back [to featherweight] with your tail between your legs after what happened, after that embarrassment," Aldo told the Brazilian media outlet Esporte Espectacular. "You will come back. My hand almost caught you, but when it does for good, you will sleep.
"He’s a lion when he’s attacking, but a kitten when he’s getting beat up," Aldo continued. "Everybody saw in his eyes that he’s just a [expletive] that quits when he’s getting beat up. That’s what we saw.”
Of course, Aldo might not be the best-positioned fighter to call out others for embarrassing losses at the moment, considering Aldo lost his championship to McGregor in just 13 seconds via one-punch knockout just three months ago at UFC 194.
Still, Aldo may as well be venting the entire division’s frustrations. He and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who has won five straight fights since losing a tight decision to Aldo three years ago, were considered the frontrunners to land the next shot at McGregor’s 145-pound title -- and the big-money payday at UFC 200 that presumably would have went with it.
But it’s not just the two fighters jostling for the top contender spot that are in a holding pattern while the UFC indulges McGregor’s outside-the-division dalliances.
Featherweight is one of the most talent-rich divisions in the sport, but it’s at a near-standstill due to the uncertainty at the top.
As of this writing, just three of the top 15 fighters in the UFC’s official featherweight rankings have a matchup on tap. The highest-ranked of the lot is No. 6 Cub Swanson, who meets No. 8 Hacran Diaz on April 16 at UFC on FOX 19. No. 9 Jeremy Stephens meets former bantamweight champion Renan Barao in the latter’s 145-pound debut on May 29.
Disregarding the occasional case like No. 11 Darren Elkins, who just fought two weeks ago and likely isn’t thinking about his next fight yet, it’s clear to see how keeping the championship on ice is causing a logjam among the rest of the pack. Edgar and Aldo are holding out to see who gets the next title shot and aren’t going to commit to another opponent until that situation is resolved.
No. 3 Chad Mendes is taking time off after being finished by strikes in back-to-back fights against McGregor and Edgar. No. 4 Max Holloway is a rising star who has won eight straight fights since losing to McGregor in 2013. He last fought in December and has cleaned out the lower ranks, so a fighter ranked above him would be the only one which makes logical career sense.
Mendes and Holloway’s respective situation in turn trickles down to the next tier of fighters, like No. 7 Charles Oliveira, who has won four out of his past five, most recently a first-round finish of Myles Jury on Dec. 19. Oliveira was one of three fighters who attempted to call out McGregor on that UFC on FOX show in Orlando (along with lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and Diaz, who ultimately won the McGregor sweepstakes), but instead, he’s waiting for a phone call like the rest of them.
It’s true that Aldo went several prolonged stretches during his six-year lineal world featherweight championship reign without defending his belt, due to various injuries, while McGregor has only been champion three months. But featherweight was still in the developmental stages early in Aldo’s reign. Now, it’s one of the deepest and most talent-rich divisional lineups in the UFC.
The longer McGregor is allowed to sit on his championship, the longer one of the company’s strongest divisions stays iced. And the more likely we are to hear outbursts from disgruntled featherweights.
