UFC 196 News: Conor McGregor Gets New Opponent After Dos Anjos Pulls Out Due To Broken Foot
Reigning UFC featherweight champion and supposed lightweight title contender Conor McGregor will be getting a new opponent for UFC 196 on March 5th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos was forced to pull out of the bout on Tuesday, after suffering a broken foot during training. He is the second Brazilian fighter to pull out of a bout ahead of facing Conor McGregor. The first one was former long-time featherweight champion José Aldo, who was originally slated to face McGregor at UFC 189 last July.
But due to a rib injury, Aldo was forced out of the bout, which was then rescheduled for UFC 194 in December.
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In a report by MMA Fighting, dos Anjos said he is "devastated" by the circumstances since they have been preparing for the fight since early this year. McGregor ended up being dos Anjos' next opponent when the Irishman called out the Brazilian champion right after his 13-second knockout victory over Aldo.
The UFC heeded to McGregor's request of facing dos Anjos and possibly being the first fighter in UFC history to ever hold two belts simultaneously, should he end up victorious.
This has left many fighters in disarray, including former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who was promised a featherweight title shot right after his first round knockout victory against former title contender Chad Mendes a the Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale, a day prior UFC 194.
But the sudden change in circumstance opened up an opportunity for Edgar to step in. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so after citing an injury. Instead, the UFC called on former lightweight title contender Nate Diaz to step in and save the event.
Diaz has also been clamoring for a fight against McGregor since his convincing win against Michael Johsnon at UFC on FOX 17 in December. UFC president Dana White made the announcement and the said fight will now be a three-round non-title welterweight fight.
The co-main event of UFC 196 would still be the bantamweight title fight between champion Holly Holm and challenger Miesha Tate.
