Conor McGregor Moving Up 2 Classes To Fight Dos Anjos Fill-In Nate Diaz

With a lightweight championship fight off the table, 145-pound Irishman Conor McGregor (19-2) has chosen to move up two weight classes and fight Nate Diaz in a non-title welterweight fight at UFC 196’s MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on March 5.

Conor McGregor Moving Up 2 Classes To Fight dos Anjos Fill-in Nate Diaz

McGregor, 27, was originally scheduled to fight defending 155-pound champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7) on March 5, although that matchup fell through after dos Anjos officially withdrew on Tuesday because of a broken foot. He will thus be sidelined for approximately six to eight weeks.

Diaz (18-10), a longtime lightweight, is coming off a decision win against Michael Johnson on Dec. 19. The 30-year-old Stockton, Calif., native is 2-2 as a welterweight. McGregor and Diaz have agreed to meet at 170 pounds for the fight.

McGregor won the UFC featherweight championship on Dec. 19, when he knocked out longtime king Jose Aldo with a left hook in 13 seconds, the fastest finish in UFC title fight history. McGregor is 7-0 in the UFC with six total knockouts.

UFC President Dana White explained on SportsCenter that before Diaz was chosen as McGregor’s opponent, offers were extended to former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Aldo, although neither was able to accept. Edgar is dealing with a groin injury, while Aldo’s coach Andre Pederneiras stated that Aldo would not be ready on such short notice.

“We called Jose Aldo; Jose Aldo turned the fight down,” White said. “We called Frankie Edgar; Frankie Edgar turned the fight down. Those are two guys everybody was talking about. A lot of guys wanted this fight, but we ended up with Nate Diaz. We felt this was the fight to make and the fight the fans wanted to see.”

Women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm will meet Miesha Tate in the other featured event in UFC 196. This will mark Holm’s first title defense since her incredible second-round knockout of former defending champion Ronda Rousey on Nov. 15.

LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 12: Conor McGregor celebrates after a first-round knockout victory over Jose Aldo in their featherweight title fight during UFC 194 on December 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)