Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor won’t be headlining UFC 200, but the two are still part of International Fight Week.
McGregor and Diaz will appear at a press conference on Thursday afternoon promoting that tickets are now on sale for UFC 202. And with two of the UFC’s most outspoken stars involved there are sure to be fireworks.
The two previously faced off at UFC 196 in March with Diaz tapping out McGregor with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
The rematch was once scheduled to headline Saturday’s UFC 200 pay-per-view, but McGregor briefly delayed that after failing to fulfill promotional obligations.
UFC 202 will take place on August 20th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira, Demian Maia vs. Carlos Condit, Donald Cerrone vs. Rick Story, Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Sultan Aliev, Alberto Uda vs. Marvin Vettori, Neil Magny vs. Dong Hyun Kim and Cody Garbrandt vs. Takeya Mizugaki are also scheduled for the show.
So much for Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II fading into the ethos.
UFC aired a promo spot Saturday during UFC 199 that the fight that headlined one of the most purchased UFC PPVs of all time will headline UFC 202 on Saturday, August 20th in Las Vegas, NV.
After they aired the promo, Diaz was shown at cageside next to Dana White, flexing his biceps and getting a hero’s welcome.
The road to the rematch is longform story worthy with the fight originally scheduled to headline UFC 200 only to fall apart supposedly because McGregor didn’t want to come to a press conference as he was training in Iceland. What followed was a classic “he said, they said, he said again” situation that saw UFC cancel the fight and eventually put a light heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in its place.
After Diaz said he wouldn’t fight anyone else but McGregor, the Stockton, CA, native then decided to play some financial hardball about what it would take to get him to do the rematch: McGregor money. After a meeting between White, Diaz, and Lorenzo Fertitta reportedly went astray, White said this week that it didn’t look like the fight would happen and alternatives for McGregor were being explored.
Well, there was no alternative. Diaz will get a chance to beat McGregor again, and the featherweight champion gets to prove that he can fight — and win — at 170 pounds on a full camp.
So yeah, this is a high stakes fight.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
On the 39th Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, longtime MMA and hip-hop journalist Andreas Hale (Yahoo, The Source, Sherdog, many more) drops by to talk NJPW Best of the Super Juniors, WWE brand split, UFC’s fun Memorial Day weekend show, Nate Diaz, the state of boxing, and tons more.
> Listen to the show below by clicking the link or saving to your computer.
In this hour-long edition, the guys jumped into the following:
– How pro wrestling was Andreas’ gateway drug into other combat sports
– What he’s watching and why he’s watching it
– Talk on the WWE brand split and why both guys are skeptical of the outcome
– Last weekend’s disaster of a Bellator middleweight title fight and why their belts don’t seem to matter
– How UFC and Bellator fail on their community outreach programs
– Whether Kimbo Slice resonates with the black community
– Thoughts on Nate Diaz and his Wednesday interview with Ariel Helwani
– Andreas’ thoughts on the boxing scene and the plethora of PBC shows
– What both guys are excited about with this weekend’s UFC Fox Sports One show on Memorial Day
Ariel Helwani reported this morning that UFC is working toward a rematch with Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz, at welterweight no less, as the main event for UFC 200 on July 9 at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Helwani reported the UFC is close to finalizing plans for the match.
This would be a major blow to Frankie Edgar, as just last week Dana White indicated the match that made the most sense going forward was McGregor defending the featherweight title against Edgar. McGregor himself, after his loss to Diaz, said he’d decide whether more people would be interested in Edgar or Jose Aldo, and that’s he was looking at defending his title against one of them. He gave the impression that he thought Aldo would have more interest but was leery if Aldo wouldn’t pull out before the fight.
McGregor vs. Diaz would also eliminate the possibility of Robbie Lawler vs. Diaz, a fight that both White and Fertitta talked about for the welterweight title.
Based on the results of UFC 196, McGregor vs. Diaz would be the best drawing fight for UFC 200 even without a title at stake. Plus, there would be longer to build the fight. For McGregor, he’d be facing Diaz with a full camp, making his odds of winning even longer.
It also puts the featherweight division on hold and almost forces an Aldo vs. Edgar match for the title shot, which would eliminate a contender.
Nate Diaz’s win over Conor McGregor and Miesha Tate’s UFC women’s bantamweight title win over Holly Holm literally changed the direction of UFC.
Going into UFC 196 on 3/5 in Las Vegas, McGregor was the company’s money machine, expected to headline UFC 200 against Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title, or perhaps even Georges St-Pierre. The latter, which would have been the biggest fight in UFC history, was heavily rumored and talked about. It was given credence when St-Pierre showed up at ringside during the show and was coy about why he was there. After McGregor lost, Dana White denied any talk of GSP vs. McGregor, but at that point, with that fight really out the window, it does UFC no good for the story to be that the biggest fight in history got screwed up by an upset. There are those who believe St-Pierre will never return due his having no money issues and concern of the long-term effects of brain trauma from fighting. There were also rumors flying about GSP vs. Lawler for the welterweight title, which would also be a major fight. But right now there is still nothing officially said past rumors that GSP is going to fight again.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is a much anticipated event headlined by UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor taking on Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout after Diaz replaced the injured Rafael Dos Anjos, who was scheduled to defend the UFC Lightweight Championship against McGregor on this card. In the co-main event, it will be UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm making her first title defense since defeating Ronda Rousey as she defends against Rousey’s long-time rival, top contender Miesha Tate. Also on the card is our very own “Filthy” Tom Lawlor as he takes on Corey Anderson. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in a middle along with a best fight and worst fight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com?subject=UFC%20196%20Feedback”>Dave Meltzer.
First round: Trading body kicks. Erosa front kick knocked Ishihara down. Nice high kick by Ishihara. Punch and knee by Ishihara and Erosa was down but quickly up. Low kick by Ishihara. Front kick by Erosa put Ishhara down. Now they are in a clinch against the fence. They were quickly separated. Left high kick and big punches by Ishiara. Ishihara hurt him with a left. Erosa took him down. Erosa’s left leg looks horrible. Close round. 10-9 Ishihara
Second round: Ishihara knocked him down and finished him with punches from the top right away. It was a left counter behind the ear that put Erosa down and good punches on the ground that finished him.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JASON SAGGO (10-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. JUSTIN SALAS (12-6, 3-3 UFC)
First round: Salas took him down off a kick. Saggo reversed to the top. Salas has a cheering section. Saggo working for an armbar. Now he’s got Salas’ back. Saggo is punching. Saggo continued punching him from that position until it was stopped.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- DIEGO SANCHEZ (25-8, 14-8 UFC) VS. JIM MILLER (25-7 1 NC, 14-6 1 NC UFC)
First round: Sanchez ran across the ring in and grabbed Miller’s leg and threw him down. Miller back up. Mlller started to land. Miller with counter right. He land some more. Sanchez took him down. Short slam by Sanchez while in guard. Sanchez landing some punches from the top. Sanchez landing some elbows. 10-9 Sanchez.
Second round: Miller made him stumble with a low kick. Miller continues to land low kicks. Miller with a body punch. Body kick by Miller but Sanchez took him down off it. Miller back up. Sanchez bleeding from the left ear from elbows by by Miller. Head kick by Miller. Nice left by Miller. Spin kick by Sanchez didn’t land solid. Miller went for a takedown but Sanchez sprawled. Sanches went for a takedown, Miller grabbed a guillotine and threw a knees. More knees by Miller. Sanchez popped out. Sanchez went for a takedown and Miller spun behind him. Miller’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Sanchez grabbed his leg for a takedown but Miller blocked. Miller with a right. Fans chanting for Sanchez. Sanchez is more active. Sanchez went for a takedown but it was blocked. Miller went for a takedown but didn’t get it but land a body kick. Left landed by Sanchez. Sanchez got a quick takedown but Miller up Body kick by Miller. Both swinging wildly at the end. Close fight but I’ve got Sanchez 29-28.
Scores: All three had it 29-28 Sanchez
Sanchez cut a promo putting over Miller and Fight Pass, as well as Jesus Christ and Yoga.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#11) DARREN ELKINS (19-5, 9-4 UFC) VS. CHAS SKELLY (15-1, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Elkins on top punching and Skelly going for heel hooks. Skelly continues going for a heel hook. Elkins throwing knees. Left by Elkins. Elkins landing a lot of uppercuts. Skelly with a right. Elkins with knees. Punches and knees by Elkins. Both swinging. Elkins 10-9.
Second round: Elkins landed punches. Elkins with a right and slammed him down. Elkins with knees to the body in the clinch on the fence. Elkins tripped him down and into side control. Skelly regained guard. Elkins landing punches from the top. Elkins 20-18.
Third round: Elkins took him down and got his back. Skelly back up. Takedown by Elkins. Elkins is working for a choke. Skelly out and back up. Both landing. Takedown by elkins and more punches on the ground Elkins connected on some good shots. Elkins 30-27.
Scores: 30-27, 29-27 and 30-26 for Elkins
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- VITOR MIRANDA (11-4, 2-1 UFC) VS. MARCELO GUIMARAES (9-1-1, 2-1 UFC)
First round: Guimaraes has him against the cage. They were separated. Both landing punches. Body kicks by Miranda. Guimaraes in with punches and going for a takedown. Los of elbows by Miranda as Guimaraes went for a takedown. Guimaraes fighting hard for a takedown but not getting it. The ref separated them again. Miranda starting to land and Guimaraes is tired. Guimaraes 10-9 but he’s the one tired at the end.’’
Second round: Guimaraes going for a takedown. Miranda landing a ton of elbows from that position and then separated, landed a head kick which stunned Guimaraes. After three solid punches standing it was called off. Good stoppage.
First round: Spin kick to the body by Silva. Silva with a low kick. Spin kick to the body and low kick by Silva. Silva missed a high kick. Takedown by Taleb and few punches. Silva wanted to touch gloves and then threw a hard right. He turned himself heel with that one. Taleb landed some punches. Low kick by Silva. Tale back with a calf kick. Silva shot in but the round ended. Close round 10-9 Silva.
Second round: Body kick by Slva. Taleb countered with a right that knocked Silva silly and it was immediately waved off. The place went bananas. That one should score 50G’s.
First round: Body kick by Thatch. Body kick by Thatch. Siyar moved in and landed punches. Body kick by Siyar. Siyar landing a lot of punches. Pretty wild action. Spinning elbow by Thatch and Siyar landing more punches. Siyar wth punches. Thatch with a knee and a takedown. Thatch went for a guillotine as Siyar reversed to the top. Thatch is working for a triangle but Siyar cleared it. Siyar landing punches on the ground. Good round 10-9 Siyar.
Second round: Thatch with a front kick and head kick. Siyar then took him down. Siyar landing punches. John McCarthy ordered a standup. Thatch landed punches. Siyar with knees and a takedown. Siyar landing punches. Siyar 20-18.
Third round: Siyar with punhes and took hij down again and hurtring him with punches on the ground. Siyar with more punches. McCarthy stood them up again. Takedown by Siyar. Siyar landing good punches on the ground. Siyar moved to side position and used a head and arm choke to finish.
First round: Body kick by Nunes while Shevchenko threw a punch. Nunes with a head kick. Shevchenko with punches. Body punch by Nunes. Shevchenko with more punches. Low kick by Nunes. Body kick by Nunes. Nunes with a takedown. She’s throwing weak body punches. Nunes 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Nunes and Shevchenko went for a takedown and kick to the body but Nunes scrambled to the top. Nunes landing punches and elbows from the top. More elbows by Nunes. Nunes moved to side control. Shevchenko is bleeding. Nunes is working for a choke but doesn’t have it. Nunes with a body triangle. Shevchenko turned and got on top. Crowd loved this. Nunes 20-18.
Third round: Shevchenko took her down into side control. Shevchenko is working for a wristlock. Nunes out and up. Nunes is tired . Chevchenko with two hard knees. Left by Shevchenko. Nunes ent for a takedown, Shevchenko blocked it and threw some punches. Reality is Nunes could get a title shot but he way she fades in the third doesn’t bode well in a five round fight. Nunes 29-28.
Scores: 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27 for Nunes
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#12) COREY ANDERSON (7-1, 4-1 UFC) VS. TOM LAWLOR (10-5 1 NC, 6-4 UFC)
First round: Low kick by Anderson. Lawlor landed a lot of shots early. Andeson back with punches. Low kick by Anderson. Lefts by Lawlor Anderosn back with one. Low kick by Anderson. Anderson with another low kick. Action slowed midway through the round. Anderson with a right. Both landing. Right and left by Lawlow. Anderson with aleft. Both traded late. Very close round. 10-9 Lawlor.
Second round: Anderson slipped and went down but back up. Nice left by Lawlor. Both punched from close range. Right by Lawlor. Anderson back with a right. Low kick by Anderson. Anderson landing punches. Right by Anderson. Low kick by Anderson. Andeson with a low kick. Nice left by Lawlor. Front kick by Lawlor. Lawlor with a right. Lawlor with a good flurry late. Anderson tried a takedown and landed a knee late. Lawlor 20-18 but these rounds are close.
Third round: Body kick by Anderson. Right by Anderson. Anderson takedown into side control. Anderson landed a punch from the top. John McCarthy ordered a standup with 1:05 left. Right by Anderson and a low kick. Anderson’s round. Crowd lightly booed. 29-28 Lawlor but this could easily go either way.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 29-28 Anderson. Fans booed the decision a lot and through his promo.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#13) GIAN VILLANTE (14-6, 4-3 UFC) VS. ILIR LATIFI (11-4 1 NC, 4-2 UFC)
First round: Villante out with good body kicks. Latifi exploded for a takedown attempt that he didn’t get. Latifi landed a big left. Latifi landing several punches. Latifi on two had Villante hurt and then went for the takedown, which allowed Villante to recover. Latifi 10-9.
Second round: Villante landing kicks. Latifi with a German suplex. Left by Latifi. Latifi trying for a takedown. Villante was holding the fence bad and Yves Lavigne didn’t see it. He actually did use his body to shield it but it was really blatant. Crowd booing because they are just standing there. Latiifi with a spin kick. Left by Latifi. Latifi again has him against the fence going for a takedown. Latifi slammed him but Villante back up. Latifi 20-18.
Third round: Latifi with a body shot. Latifi again going for the takedown. Tried a belly to belly but didn’t get it. Big left by Latifi. Another left by Latifi. Side kick by Latifi. Body kick by Villante. Another slam by Latifi with 20 seconds left. Latifi 30-27
Scores: All three judges have it 30-27 Latifi. Really he won all three rounds solidly.
They showed Jon Jones, Joanna, GSP, Diaz and Conor and GSP got by far the biggest reaction, even above Conor.
First round: Holm got a really big reaction. Tate was cheered a ton but not at the level of Holm. This has a very intense feel about it, very much like a world title fight. Crowd really psyched. Miesha chant. Left and a kick by Holm. Tate tried a takedown and didn’t get it. Holly chant. Much louder than Miesha chants. Now loud Miesha chants unti Holm shoved her backwards. Left by Holm. Very little happening and crowd is still into it. Holm forward with punches. Holm with a flurry ending with a side kick. Tate landed some punches. Head kick by Holm. Tate missed on a big kick. Side kick by Holm. Holm 10-9.
Second round: Tate took her down. She’s in side controil. Place popped huge for that. Holm got guard. Tate with a punch. Miesha chants super loud. Elbows to the body by Tate. Hard elbows by Tate. Another good elbow by Tate. Tate has her back She’s working for a choke. She gave it up. Tate working for it agan. Crowd going nuts. Holm survived the round. 10-8 round for Tate so 19-18 Tate. This crowd is going nuts like few fights I’ve seen.
Third round: Head kick by Holm. Big shots by Holm. Tate tried a takedown but didn’t get it. Side kick by Holm. Body kick by Holm. Kick and punch by Holm. Left by Holm. Right by Holm. Tate landed some punches and Holm with a body kick. Tate tried a takedown but couldn’t get it. Holm tried a head kick but it was blocked. Holm’s round so 28-28 after three.
Fourth round: Tate with a left. Holm with a combo. Tate again tried a takedown but couldn’t get it. Holm threw her off. Tate shot in but Holm blocked her. Holm with punches and threw an elbow when she let her up. A series of punches by Holm. Front kick by Holm and more punches. Holm 38-37 going into the final round.
Fifth round: Left by Holm. Holm with two side kicks. Holm with a left. Tate pushed her against the fence. Holm turned her. Holm threw an elbow to break the clinch. Holm with punches and a high kick. Tate is too slow to grab the leg when Holm is throwing her side kicks. Tate got her down and got her back again. Tate is working for a choke. Holm flipped her over but Tate held on and got the choke tighter. Holm went out without tapping. Unreal. This is one of the best finishes you’ll ever see. This match was so intense live. 3:30
WELTERWEIGHTS- (FTW C) CONOR MCGREGOR (19-2, 7-0 UFC) VS. (#5 LW) NATE DIAZ (18-10, 13-8 UFC)
First round: The place is still electric. Not nearly the Irish contingent as in the past but McGregor is still the big crowd favorite. Big left by McGregor. Diaz has him against the fence. McGregor out and landed a left and a right. McGregor landing punches. Good body punch by Diaz. Diaz starting to land. Spin kick missed by McGregor. Diaz is starting to land. Both are landing good shots. Diaz with a body kick. Diaz bleeding from the right eye. McGregor is targeting the eye. Diaz took him down but McGregor is on top. McGregor landing punches from the top. McGregor 10-9.
Second round: Spin kick by McGregor. Spin kick landed by McGregor. McGregor landing to the body. Left by McGregor. McGregor with a spin kick. Big fight by McGregor. Diaz is bleeding badly now. Big right by McGregor. Diaz tied him up against the fence. McGregor is really going to work on him now. Diaz’s face is a mess. Diaz slapped him in the face. Right by Diaz. Knee by McGregor. Uppercut by McGregor. McGregor landing a lot of shots and Diaz back with punches. Diaz actually missing most but now he’s landing. Diaz is starting to take over. Diaz has McGregor in trouble Diaz landing a ton of punches. Diaz with a ton of lefts. McGregor now coming back with punches. Diaz back with punches and has him hurt. McGregor went for a takedown and is on top. Diaz is punching the hell out of him and he’s got the choke and McGregor is not getting out of this. 4:20
The first big show of the year is upon us as Ireland has taken over Las Vegas and Stockton is there to fight. Since this fight was signed last week, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz have managed to cram three months of trash talk into 11 days and captured the imagination of fight fans everywhere.
Lost in the shuffle is a highly anticipated title fight in the marquee division in women’s MMA. Our very own Tom Lawlor is also on the main card along with the guy he knocked out in his last fight. And in the Fight Pass main event, two battle-tested UFC veterans will throw down as Diego Sanchez moves back to 155 to take on Jim Miller.
Our panel is here to weigh in on their opinions on the top fights on the card and as you can see from the results below, our panel (for the most part) picks at a higher clip than the people who set the betting odds.
Here’s our panel with the 2016 records in parenthesis with a running tally of the records of the favorites going into the fights and the panel consensus picks
John Pollock (18-7; .720) – Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Mike Sawyer (17-8; .680) – Tough Talk MMA
Josh Nason (17-8; .680) – Host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out; Assistant Web Editor of WrestlingObserver.com; WON Twitter guy
Mike Sempervive (17-8; .680) – Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (16-9; .640) – WrestlingObserver.com UFC reporter, WON Twitter guy
Consensus picks (14-9; .609)
Dave Meltzer (15-10; .600)– Wrestling Observer founder
Steve Juon (14-11; .560) – MMA Mania/Wrestling Observer writer. Angry Marks founder
Favorites (14-11; .560)
David Bixenspan (14-11; .560) – Figure Four Weekly writer, podcast host
Front Row Brian (13-12; .520) – MMA newsbreaker, Beloved internet personality, Podcast host
Paul Fontaine (10-15; .400) – MMADraws.com founder, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Conor McGregor (19-2) vs Nate Diaz (18-10) Welterweights
The World Featherweight Champion takes on the #5 ranked Lightweight contender in a Welterweight fight. Despite how ridiculous that sounds, this show is going to do huge business and it’s because of this fight. And it should be a great one. McGregor has outstanding power and with the extra weight could be even more powerful. If it goes to the ground, Diaz should have the huge advantage. The odds are heavily in Conor’s favor and the fight seems a lot closer than they would suggest but our panel is picking straight up and without having to think about the odds, it’s a clear consensus.
Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm (10-0) vs Miesha Tate (17-5)
Holm makes her first title defence after the biggest upset in UFC history when she knocked out Ronda Rousey. Rousey’s previous biggest rival Tate gets the title shot she’s been working toward for two years. This should be a very different fight for Holm but so far she’s passed every test in the UFC even if it was with a solid C in her first two fights. Again the panel seems pretty unified on this one and the odds, while not quite as lopsided as the main event, favor the champion. The winner will likely get the biggest money fight of her career against Ronda later on this year.
Ilir Latifi (11-4) vs Gian Villante (14-6) Light Heavyweights
Latifi has stormed the UFC with 4 first round stoppages in his first 6 fights. He has had a few stumbles with 2 losses and while one was against someone who now fights at Middlweight in Gegard Mousasi, he was knocked out in the first round by non-contender Jan Blachowicz. Villante is also susceptible to the KO but has managed to win 3 of the last 4. This and the next fight is almost a mini-tournament of sorts to get into that next level of contenders once Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier settle their differences. It would seem natural to have the winners of these two fights face off down the road.
Tom Lawlor (10-5) vs Corey Anderson (7-1) Light Heavyweights
The co-host of Filthy Four Daily on this very website steps back into the Octagon in an attempt to finally break into that elusive top 15. He really should be there already considering he’s coming off of a KO win of Villante, who already is. He’s got a tough opponent in former TUF Champion Anderson. Anderson has won 4 of 5 in the UFC with the last 3 coming by decision. The two most likely outcomes seem to be a finish for Lawlor or a grinding decision for Anderson. With the way my selections have been going so far, you can look at my pick in this fight as support for a fellow website contributor….
Diego Sanchez (25-8) vs Jim Miller (25-7) Lightweights
Another TUF winner on the card here as Diego Sanchez is back in the Octagon. If not for a gift win against Ross Pearson that only the two judges who voted for him think he won, Sanchez would be on a four fight win streak. After dropping to 145 for a fight with Ricardo Lamas, he’s back at his familiar 155 for this one. Jim Miller is a perennial contender who almost always has exciting fights and this one could steal the show. Miller has also lost 3 of his last 4 with two of those uncharacteristically coming by stoppage. It seems unlikely that either of these two would ever be cut by UFC but it’s tough to stick around in UFC with a 1-4 record in your last 5 fights so this is important for both of them.
Welcome to our live coverage of the UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz weigh-ins from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighters will hit the scale at 7 PM eastern time. The card airs Saturday night, with the main card taking place on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM eastern time before shifting over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time.
The biggest event thus far in the year 2016 is headlined by UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor moving up two weight classes to take on Nate Diaz, who takes the fight on short notice and also moves up a weight class, when they square off in a five-round bout at welterweight. Diaz is a short-notice replacement for Rafael Dos Anjos, who was scheduled to defend the UFC Lightweight Championship against McGregor before breaking his foot two weeks ago.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm defends the championship she won when she shocked the world and knocked out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in November as she takes on long-time top contender Miesha Tate. Also on the card is our very own “Filthy” Tom Lawlor as he takes on Corey Anderson.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Conor McGregor (168) vs. Nate Diaz (169) Holly Holm (134.5) vs. Miesha Tate (135) – UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship Gian Villante (205) vs. Ilir Latifi (205) Corey Anderson (204) vs. Tom Lawlor (204.5) Amanda Nunes (136) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (134)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Brandon Thatch (170) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (170) Erick Silva (170) vs. Nordine Taleb (170) Vitor Miranda (185.5) vs. Marcelo Guimaraes (185.5) Darren Elkins (145.5) vs. Chas Skelly (145.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT): Diego Sanchez (156) vs. Jim Miller (155.5) Jason Saggo (155.5) vs. Justin Salas (156) Julian Erosa (144.5) vs. Teruto Ishihara (146)
With UFC 196 emanating from Las McGregor, Nevada, this weekend, Josh Nason’s Punch-Out heads back out to the desert to chat with someone who is a familiar face to UFC hardcore fans with his usual cageside seat and youthful good looks: Las Vegas Sun assistant sports editor Case Keefer!
Josh and Case talked for 45 minutes about a variety of topics including:
Even with an injury taking out a main eventer, Saturday’s UFC 196 has no shortage of buzz around it, thanks to the new main event of featherweight champion Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz at welterweight.
The two had a memorable kickoff press conference to announce the fight, made when lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos had to bow out due to a broken foot, in which McGregor was accused of taking steroids and Diaz was accused of making gang signs with one hand and balloon animals in the other. Yes, that happened. The UFC Embedded series has also had its share of memorable moments, notably Nick Diaz’s brother commenting on McGregor’s movment coach Ido Portal.
Today’s 4 PM EST press conference will feature McGregor, Diaz, women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, and Miesha Tate. Sadly, our “Filthy” Tom Lawlor will not be in attendance as he continues to hatch out a secret plan to defeat Corey Anderson on the PPV main card Saturday.
