Diaz vs McGregor 2 Further Obscures the Featherweight Division

After Dana White and Conor McGregor made statements following the Irishman's first UFC loss to Nate Diaz on March 5 at UFC 196, the MMA universe was anticipating the featherweight champion to return to 145 lbs to defend his title against either Jose Aldo or Frankie Edgar.

However, reports that broke over the weekend suggest that McGregor will instead take a second shot at beating one of Stockton California's favorite son's at welterweight in a bout that will headline UFC's marquee event on July 9 at the T-Mobile Arena, UFC 200.

Several journalists claimed that 'The Notorious' refused a return date with Diaz, but the man himself told TMZ in the week following his first Octagon loss that he was interested in the bout.

"I think I'd like to see that, yeah?" McGregor said of a future rematch with Diaz. "I mean, it's one that interests me, most certainly. You know, when I look at the fight I was winning the fight. I won the first round and a half, I feel. I'd love to get that one back. We'll see how it goes. Money talks. Life is good."

Ariel Helwani broke the news on Friday that rematch of UFC 196's main event was "in the works". In an article that appeared on MMAFighting.com, Helwani claimed that UFC is "close to finalizing a non-title welterweight rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz for the July 9 card."

The following day, FOX Sports announced that both McGregor and Diaz had verbally agreed to the return bout at 170 lbs.

"Sources close to the situation confirmed to FOX Sports on Friday that verbal agreements are in place for the fight but bout agreements have not been issued yet."

Understanding the Rematch

Luke Thomas put it best when he likened McGregor's welterweight debut to the mythological tale of Icarus. Icarus' wings melted when he flew too close to the sun and the unparalleled self-belief of 'The Notorious' seemed to finally meet its match at the hands of Diaz.

While the rest of the world expected McGregor to move back down two weight classes, the Dubliner wants to prove that he is capable of his multiple weight aspirations. By beating Diaz at UFC 200, McGregor will cancel out his first loss and remain a threat to all three divisions – featherweight, lightweight and welterweight.

Nate Diaz banked his biggest payday to date at UFC 196 and although he was reported to have a series of high-profile bouts on the table, there is no bigger fight than McGregor in MMA's current landscape. Having weathered McGregor's early storm to finish him emphatically by rear naked choke in the second round of their first meeting, Diaz will undoubtedly be confident heading into their next clash should it be confirmed.

The rematch makes sense for the promotion too. Dana White announced that he expects the first event that the welterweight duo headlined to sell 1.5 million buys, a figure that would make it the second biggest UFC event of all time. With that figure in mind, UFC stands to gain a similar number from July 9. There will also be an added interest for how McGregor will bounce back from his first Octagon defeat.

Edgar and Aldo in Limbo

The main contenders in the featherweight division will be put on hold if McGregor's rematch with Diaz is officially announced. Since the news broke, there is a lot of talk of Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar meeting for an interim title, but because McGregor only won the belt four months ago that wouldn't make a lot of sense.

A part of the SBG frontrunner's unique selling point is the fact that he currently holds a title. Many champions have gone over a year without defending their championships, so his rematch with Diaz doesn't exactly warrant a need to create an interim belt. However, it will make matching both Edgar and Aldo, a man who previously claimed that he would not take a fight that didn't involve a belt being on the line, a much harder task.

Edgar has all but cleared out the division since he lost a close decision to former champion Aldo back in February 2013. The best bout the division could put on without McGregor would probably be a matchup between the two, but it's unlikely that 'The Answer' will want to potentially part with his number one contender spot and his near guarantee of a clash with McGregor by taking that fight.

Max Holloway could be the ace up UFC's sleeve. Currently on an eight-fight win streak, both Aldo and 'Blessed' have declared an interest in facing each other in the past, which would be a matchup that would definitely please the masses.