[Niamh.]

at 170 again, scared

McGregor vs. Diaz rematch set for UFC 200; Aldo meets Edgar for interim 145 title

UFC officials today confirmed one of MMA’s worst-kept secrets of late: Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz will rematch in July at UFC 200.

But in a new development, with McGregor not defending his featherweight title, an interim 145-pound belt will be on the line at the event: Former champion Jose Aldo (25-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) will meet former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC), and the winner will move on to a featherweight title unification fight with McGregor down the line.

McGregor (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Diaz’s (19-10 MMA, 14-8 UFC) welterweight rematch will headline UFC 200. Their first meeting earlier this month at UFC 196 also took place at welterweight. It is not yet known of the Edgar-Aldo fight, also a rematch, will be the co-main event. Also made official for the card is a lightweight fight between Joe Lauzon (25-11 MMA, 12-8 UFC) and Diego Sanchez (26-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC).

The historic UFC 200 event takes place July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

McGregor is ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings (and No. 5 pound-for-pound). Diaz is No. 6 at lightweight. Aldo is No. 2 at featherweight after his 13-second knockout loss to McGregor at UFC 194, and Edgar is No. 3.

In UFC 196’s headliner, Diaz forced McGregor to tap out to a rear-naked choke in their non-title welterweight bout.

Although McGregor bloodied his opponent in the opening round, Diaz rallied in the second to blast him with punches, force the fight to the mat, and secure the bout-ending submission. It proved to be one of the biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history.

Despite the victory, Diaz, who took the bout on less than two weeks’ notice after lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos suffered a foot injury, recently opened as a small underdog in the expected rematch.

Edgar has been pining for a title shot against McGregor, including accusing the featherweight champ of ducking him by choosing the potential for a rematch with Diaz instead of defending his 145-pound title. Edgar has had a title shot before. He lost a decision to Aldo at UFC 156, which was the last time he dropped a fight. Since then, the former lightweight champ has won five straight, including a knockout of Chad Mendes in December at the TUF 22 Finale. Aldo’s loss to McGregor was his first in more than 10 years.

The latest UFC 200 card includes:

Champ Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz – non-title bout
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar – for interim featherweight title
Travis Browne vs. Cain Velasquez
Derek Brunson vs. Gegard Mousasi
Joe Lauzon vs. Diego Sanchez
For more on UFC 200, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

http://mmajunkie.com/2016/03/mcgrego...erim-145-title

[karl100589]

I'm afraid to say that I think McGregor's going to get beaten again. Diaz managed to make him look very ordinary on short notice and I can't imagine that changing with a full training camp behind him. If Conor has a chance it needs to be in the first round before Nate can get really fired up.

I have to say though the card is looking fantastic right now, Aldo vs Edgar for the number one contender spot for McGregor's title plus Nunes and Tate for the Women's featherweight title

[BBfanUSA]

Screw the rematch, Conor McGregor has announced his retirement eariler today and the 200 rematch has been cancelled

[LaLaLand]

I honestly thought it was a joke circulating, obviously not. Cannot believe it!

[Niamh.]

Apparently McGregor had been training in Iceland for the rematch and the UFC wanted him to come out of training and do a load of promotional stuff and he refused so they had a falling out

[Niamh.]

Jonathan Shrager ‎@JonathanShrager
#McGregor Update 2/2: Conor informed my source that the promo tour was unrealistic; not just the presser, it was more like a mini world tour
3:14 AM - 20 Apr 2016

http://entimports.com/2016/04/conor-...d-unrealistic/

[Niamh.]

Conor McGregor
21 mins ·
I am just trying to do my job and fight here.
I am paid to fight. I am not yet paid to promote.
I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting.
There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and get back to the damn shop.
50 world tours, 200 press conferences, 1 million interviews, 2 million photo shoots, and at the end of it all I'm left looking down the barrel of a lens, staring defeat in the face, thinking of nothing but my incorrect fight preparation. And the many distractions that led to this.
Nothing else was going through my mind.
It is time to go back and live the life that got me this life.
Sitting in a car on the way to some dump in Conneticut or somewhere, to speak to Tim and Suzie on the nobody gives a **** morning show did not get me this life.
Talking to some lady that deep down doesn't give a **** about what I'm doing, but just wants some sound bites so she can maybe get her little tight ass a nice raise, and I'm cool with that too, I've been giving you all raises. But I need to focus on me now.
I'm coming for my revenge here.
I flew an entire team to Portugal and to Iceland to make my adjustments in preparation and fix my errors I made with the weight and the cardio prep.
With the right adjustments and the right focus, I will finish what I started in that last fight.
I will not do this if I am back on the road handing out flyers again.
I will always play the game and play it better than anybody, but just for this one, where I am coming off a loss, I asked for some leeway where I can just train and focus. I did not shut down all media requests. I simply wanted a slight adjustment.
But it was denied.
There had been 10 million dollars allocated for the promotion of this event is what they told me.
So as a gesture of good will, I went and not only saved that 10 million dollars in promotion money, I then went and tripled it for them.
And all with one tweet.
Keep that 10 mill to promote the other bums that need it. My shows are good.
I must isolate myself now.
I am facing a taller, longer and heavier man. I need to prepare correctly this time.
I can not dance for you this time.
It is time for the other monkeys to dance. I've danced us all the way here.
Nate's little mush head looks good up on that stage these days. Stuff him in front of the camera for it.
He came in with no **** to do that last one. I'd already done press conferences, interviews and shot the ads before RDA pulled out.
Maybe I'll hit Cabo this time and skull some shots pre-fight with no obligation.
I'm doing what I need for me now.
It is time to be selfish with my training again. It is the only way.
I feel the $400million I have generated for the company in my last three events, all inside 8 months, is enough to get me this slight leeway.
I am still ready to go for UFC 200.
I will offer, like I already did, to fly to New York for the big press conference that was scheduled, and then I will go back into training. With no distractions.
If this is not enough or they feel I have not deserved to sit this promotion run out this one time, well then I don't know what to say.
For the record also -
For USADA and for the UFC and my contract stipulations -
I AM NOT RETIRED.

[Niamh.]

It's back on

'I am back on UFC 200' - Conor McGregor announces return after war of words with Dana White



Conor McGregor has been added back on the card for UFC 200 and has ended his war of words with the organisation following a row that saw him announce his 'retirement' last week.

The Dublin born fighter tweeted this morning: "Happy to announce that I am BACK on UFC 200! Shout out to @danawhite and @lorenzofertitta on getting this one done for the fans. #Respect"

McGregor appeared to be out of the running for a rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 200 when Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White ruled out any possibility of the Dubliner fighting on the card, despite the Irishman backtracking on his 'retirement' and saying he was still training to face Diaz.
McGregor was pulled from the July 9 rematch in Las Vegas after he refused to travel to Nevada for promotional appearances.
Read More: 'I want him to fight but it's not right' - UFC 200 goes ahead without McGregor, insists White
McGregor, who surged through the featherweight ranks before knocking out champion Jose Aldo of Brazil in 13 seconds in December, has become the UFC's hottest property with his outrageous trash-talking and vicious fighting skills.
Over the weekend, White acknowledged McGregor's importance to the UFC but said he would not be fighting on the card.
"I want him to fight, but it's not right," White said. "Conor has a huge fan base, people love to see him fight ... But UFC 200 is going to go on (without him)."
Earlier in the week, the Irishman criticised the media circus surrounding the sport and hinted at retirement, before later clarifying that he planned to continue fighting.
On his Facebook page, McGregor said the promotional and media obligations had become a distraction.
"I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting," he said. "There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and get back to the damn shop."
Diaz, who stunned McGregor in their fight in March, said he was not interested in meeting anyone else and would instead go "on vacation."
There is likely to be much more said about this entire matter before McGregor and Diaz go at it again at UFC 200, particularly when the Dubliner faces the media in New York in the build up to the rematch.
There is no doubt that with over two months to the fight, this will be McGregor and the UFC's most-talked about event so far.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/mma/...-34656393.html

[Niamh.]

Rematch this Saturday night/Sunday morning, scared though, I think he might be being too ambitious with this 170 weight

[Brother Leon]

McGregor wins by decision. Congrats, Niamh

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

McGregor wins by decision. Congrats, Niamh

What a fight it was too, Conor is a very clever guy. He really learned from last time. The self discipline he had in there was crazy. He knocked him down 3 times and he must have been thinking I could finish him now but it was too risky. That last 30 seconds felt like an hour

[karl100589]

Honestly I would go as far as to call that the best fight of the year so far. Brilliant stuff from both men and the cherry on the cake of a great show.

[Brother Leon]

Best fight since Jones Vs Gustafsson tbh.

[Niamh.]

I really like Nate as well, he's so tough but that's ****ing him up, he's already punch drunk, he's going to be in a bad way when he does retire

[Ramsay]

I love Nate so much

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Ramsay

I love Nate so much

Nate should love Conor so much, he earned $40k for his last fight before Conor and they reckon he earned $13million for this one

https://twitter.com/bjpenndotcom/sta...838171137?s=04

[Ramsay]

They love each other really

[Niamh.]

yeah , that was some battle, wasn't it?

[Ramsay]

Trying to avoid the spoilers all day like that episode of How I Met Your Mother was a struggle but so worth it haha did you stay up Niamh? Thought Nate had him a few times especially in Round 3 but oh my god what a fight. Conor's not used to 5 round fights but you can tell he worked hard on his takedown defence Can't wait for number 3

[Niamh.]

Yeah We went to Galway to my brothers and stayed up all night, thought he was gone a few times but I think the decision was right, 1,2& 4 for Conor, 3 & 5 Nate