The Game Has Been Changed

A major change to one of the main events of UFC 196 has been made. UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor will no longer be fighting UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos for lightweight title. Instead, Nate Diaz will be fighting McGregor in a non-title match.

Rafael dos Anjos was supposed to put his title on the line against Conor McGregor in what would've been a historic championship match. But a broken foot sidelined dos Anjos and got him taken out of the fight. McGregor now has his sights set on Nate Diaz. He has been interested in fighting Diaz for a long time. There has been talk about these two competitors fighting each since UFC 189 last July. Now Diaz, being dos Anjos' replacement, has the opportunity to score a potential upset against the featherweight champion. Diaz is the perfect candidate to fight McGregor because he has beaten everyone that McGregor has beaten as well. So this welterweight bout will definitely open the eyes of many promoters, agents, and media personnel.

There has also been a lot of smack talk between the brash Irishman and the upstart. The two were going back and forth at the UFC 196 Press Conference. Furthermore, the amount of money put into this fight is astronomical. Since dos Anjos was scheduled out of the fight, the UFC needed to find a replacement immediately. This poured out thousands of dollars for Diaz and McGregor. UFC 196 will either make or break Nate Diaz as he looks to defeat the arrogant, but confident featherweight champion. This could also heighten McGregor's career as Diaz could put him even more over. I am excited to see how this welterweight fight will go down on March 5.