Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz has been confirmed for UFC 196 on March 5.
It’s been a frantic 24 hours to rescue the main event with Diaz stepping in to fight the featherweight champion at welterweight after Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out.
But this is a fight that has been on the cards for a while. The fans wanted it, the UFC wanted it and Nate Diaz really wanted it.
The one moment when everyone thought ‘this fight has to happen’ was back in December when the American beat Michael Johnson.
Instead of the usual thanking God, his mum or the fans, he launched straight into an expletive-laden tirade against McGregor – calling out the Irishman there and then.
It’s no wonder it was cut from Fox…
McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh’s assessment of the fight and of Diaz was pretty brutal…
Absorbing that many shots would make it a very very short night if he was to meet a real hitter #BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) December 20, 2015
But the torch was lit, appetites were whet and people wanted the fight made.
It looks like it almost was too – with MMA writer Ariel Helwani saying that it could have been Diaz and not RDA facing McGregor in the first place…
Interesting thing that I forgot to mention: Diaz was *this close to being the original 3/5 foe Conor. Remember he was at 195? Was for that.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 24, 2016
They went w/ RDA/history for obvious reasons but Diaz was super close to getting it. Hence the trip to LV. Worked out for him and then some.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 24, 2016
Diaz himself had originally claimed that the fight was made before RDA was picked as McGregor’s opponent.
“He said it’s on!” Diaz had claimed. “We’re going to do this.”
“Hell yeah [UFC bosses] want it. Everybody wants that fight… If people want to see a real fight, they know who to call.
“When we fight, we’re going to fight,” he told MMA Fighting. “Fight-fight. For real, fight. He thinks he’s the ninja. I’m the ninja. Ninja Gaiden. American Ninja. Real motherf**king ninja.
“This [is a] ninja martial artist right here. I started that sh*t. That sh*t came from Stockton, with us – me and my team.
“American Ninja [vs] Irish Ninja. Bring that sh*t on.”
So when RDA pulled out on Tuesday – despite names like Donald Cerrone, Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo being thrown around – there was only one name that people wanted to see. Diaz.
Even Dana White acknowledge that when he broke the news on Sports Center.
