Remember UFC 100, when things seemed to operate a bit more … logically?
The system was simple. Brock Lesnar was the UFC heavyweight champion and took on Frank Mir, the interim champion, who just so happened to hold a victory over him. That was the easy-to-follow, digestible conclusion to a rivalry. Champion vs. Champion with a narrative thrown in for good measure.
Similarly, Georges St-Pierre abided by the then-acceptable expectations of the UFC by taking on an unofficial mandatory challenger in Thiago Alves who had just beaten seven men in a row at welterweight to secure his shot at the greatest 170 lber in UFC history.
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping was the culmination of Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter.
It all made sense and there were so many moving parts across so many weight divisions that, no matter who your favourite fighter was, UFC 100 had something for you.
But the success of UFC 200, the pay-per-view expected to surpass the record-holding 1.6m buyrate of UFC 100, is wholly and somewhat understandably pinned on one man.
Conor McGregor is coming off a loss.
And after all of the talk that McGregor had become bigger than the promotion, it would have been the perfect time for the UFC to cut him down to size, assert themselves as the power player and afford Nate Diaz superstar status.
McGregor’s defeat, and the circumstances that saw him submit to a rear naked choke in his first visit to welterweight, led many to believe that the glow of his shining orb had been beaten and choked into a dimming glimmer.
The promotion could well have forced McGregor back down to featherweight to defend his title as he was, in plenty of eyes, jamming up an entire weight class with his lofty ambitions to chance his hand at welterweight.
The UFC could also have taken advantage of Nate Diaz’s newfound fame among casuals to set him up against a Rafael dos Anjos or even a Robbie Lawler on July 9.
But the UFC’s stall had been set out long before UFC 196, which saw McGregor’s momentum mother-fucked by Diaz, and they’re not about to pack away their unsold goods anytime soon.
Quite frankly, nobody earns more money for the UFC than ‘The Notorious.’ Similarly frankly, no fight earns as much money for the UFC than a rematch with the first man to defeat McGregor in the Octagon.
The promotion could have gone a different route and sunk in the unfamiliar stranglehold they may have held over McGregor due to the fact that he had lost his air of invincibility.
They could have flexed their muscles by forcing him into a position where he defends his title.
But McGregor fought the hands, he slipped out of the UFC’s hooks and, somehow, cemented himself as the dominant force once more.
UFC 200 is essentially the McGregor Show. Anybody who denies that is a fool.
Literally everybody hoped that Conor McGregor would put a pin in his welterweight aspirations.
McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, wanted a 145 lb defence against Jose Aldo.
He told The MMA Hour: “I’m not too sure, there are a few offers there, that’s really for him to decide. Let’s see what the fans want. Me personally, maybe Aldo rematch. I’d like to see that again.”
Dana White said on ESPN: “Obviously Lorenzo (Fertitta) and I tried to argue with him and say let’s go back down to 145 lbs and defend your title, or if you really want the Diaz fight that bad, do it at 155. And he wants to fight at 170! Even his coach, Coach (John) Kavanagh, tried to get him to get off this rematch and off the 170 lb fight, but it’s what he wanted.”
Even Nate Diaz, who was up for the rematch, would have preferred to have it happen at 155 lbs.
“If there’s a second fight, whatever. I’ll fight at (155),” Diaz said on UFC Tonight. “I’d like to be in shape and be cut up and not have to hear it out of the fans and the people. Not even the fans but the guy (Conor McGregor), I don’t want to hear no excuses.
“I’ll make 55. I planned on making 55 the last time. We’re going to have to see if they want to run it back and then we’ll see.”
But, alas the fight takes place at 170 lbs.
Not only that but it, once more, takes precedence over a fight for UFC gold.
An undisputed title fight is expected to be added to UFC 200 but, whatever that is, McGregor vs. Diaz will still be the main event.
An interim title fight has already been slated for the card and that, possibly even more than McGregor’s bout, shows just how much power that the Irishman holds right now.
Interim title fights are designed to fill the gaps when a champion is recovering for an injury. That’s literally the point of their existence.
But Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar for the interim featherweight title is taking place due to the fact that McGregor, the champion at 145 lbs, feels like giving welterweight another go.
It could be excused if an interim title fight was taking place because the title holder is engaged in a super fight with the champion of a higher weight class (e.g. having Aldo vs. Edgar as the co-main of the originally scheduled RDA vs. McGregor main event at UFC 196 would have been acceptable).
But the fact that McGregor was defeated at welterweight by Diaz, yet is still allowed to return to give that bout another go on the grandest stage of all is testament to his unparalleled sway over the promotion’s brass.
The option was there. After all of the getting-too-big-for-his-boots rumours prior to UFC 196, McGregor could have been put back in his box, commanded to do what he’s told and defend his 145 lbs belt.
The battle was definitely in the promotion’s favour when one considered the available options – give Nate a title shot, make McGregor defend, get either Robbie Lawler or Miesha Tate involved.
“I’m living the whatever the fuck I want life,” McGregor told SevereMMA ahead of March 5.
And despite appearing to be in a tricky position, it looks like he’s getting his way against all odds.
He’s disengaged from the potential backmount of the UFC, forced the contest back to its feet. and it looks like he intends on keeping it nice and flowy.
