If Conor McGregor Beats Nate Diaz, Who Should He Fight at UFC 200?
Groans were heard across the world when a foot injury forced Rafael dos Anjos to pull out of his UFC 196 bout against Conor McGregor.
McGregor, the featherweight champion, seems constantly stricken by opponents who can't make it to fight night. But then Nate Diaz was announced as the replacement opponent, and all was right with the world. Dos Anjos is a champion, but Diaz is one of the most interesting fights available for McGregor in the UFC, and the interest in UFC 196—after briefly declining following the dos Anjos announcement—shot right back through the roof.
The most intriguing part of the Diaz news? The fight will take place at 170 pounds. McGregor, who last fought at 145, will jump two weight classes for a bout against a mercurial and skilled opponent who is well-versed in the art of trash talking.
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You want to talk about anticipation? This is anticipation.
So what happens if McGregor goes in the cage and smokes Diaz? What's next? He has already noted he wants to fight at UFC 200, which means he'll be turning around to face an unknown opponent at the biggest event in UFC history. It is a landmark moment that requires a landmark opponent.
Here's a look at McGregor's three potential opponents at UFC 200.
Frankie Edgar
This is the one that receives the most fervent support from hardcore fans. Edgar has been a fan favorite for years, and he has garnered even more support due to the belief that he has been consistently passed over for a featherweight title shot despite being the most deserving candidate. We tend to root for the underdog, and Edgar—despite a Hall of Fame-worthy UFC career—has been considered an underdog for much of his career.
But I've got some bad news for Edgar supporters: Unless Edgar moves up to 155 pounds, it is unlikely he'll ever get a chance to face McGregor.
Prior to McGregor's title fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 194, the word from his camp was that the bout would be the Irishman's final time fighting at featherweight. Win, lose or draw, he was going to move up and seek his fortunes elsewhere. McGregor is a large featherweight, perhaps even the biggest in the division, and the weight cuts he had to endure to make the limit were grueling fits of torture. On weigh-in days, he was gaunt and pale, a mere shadow of his usual self.
I don't know this for sure, but I have a feeling McGregor never fights at featherweight again. Even if he loses an eventual title challenge to dos Anjos, I don't think he'll ever defend the featherweight title. The weight cut is just too much, and McGregor is well aware of the damaging effects those drastic cuts can have on his body. McGregor has already begun packing on pounds, and it is hard to imagine him losing that weight to defend his championship.
Edgar is certainly deserving of a title shot, and he is getting a bit of a raw deal here. But if he's intent on waiting for a shot at McGregor, he'll be waiting a while. It's much more likely Edgar faces Aldo or Max Holloway for a vacant featherweight title. It won't be as satisfying as getting his chance to beat McGregor, but it's a title fight all the same.
Rafael dos Anjos
This was the fight we all wanted to see, and we were well on our way until a broken foot forced the lightweight champion to pull out. Now, dos Anjos must sit on the sideline while he heals.
It makes sense to book the dos Anjos/McGregor fight as soon as dos Anjos is ready, perhaps even at UFC 200. It has been booked once already, after all, and we all want to see how McGregor would fare against the sublime skills dos Anjos has developed over the past few years.
But UFC 196 could force this bout to the backburner. If McGregor goes in the Octagon next Saturday and demolishes Diaz, there will be plenty of people (myself included) who would rather see him go after the welterweight title instead of the lightweight crown. I do want to see McGregor and dos Anjos at some point, and I think we will. But a crushing win by McGregor over Diaz might change my priorities, because the idea of McGregor going after Robbie Lawler is a tantalizing one.
Robbie Lawler
If McGregor can beat Diaz, and do so in convincing fashion, this is the fight I want for UFC 200.
I prefer it over a bout with dos Anjos for many reasons. One, this is the featherweight champion going up not just one division but two to challenge for the championship. Two, Lawler is much bigger than McGregor and will present all kinds of stylistic problems. And three, both McGregor and Lawler are known as exciting strikers who push forward in search of knockouts.
That blend of styles is the main reason I want the fight. Neither man backs down, and both of them have shown heart and endurance when faced with problematic situations. They're both accurate and powerful strikers. And Lawler, with his size and power, represents a kind of challenge McGregor just won't face against any featherweight or lightweight.
McGregor wants to be known as the greatest fighter of all time. If he were to go in the Octagon and beat Lawler for the welterweight championship, it would be nearly impossible to deny he's either the greatest of all time or at least one of them. It would be a high-stakes bout with all sorts of fascinating and thrilling possibilities.
McGregor would likely be the underdog, and he would have to overcome plenty of obstacles to win. We'd get a true and definitive measure of him as a fighter and as a human being.
The truth is there are no "bad" fights for McGregor, because he is an event unto himself, and we'll watch no matter who is standing across the cage from him on fight night.
But we're talking about UFC 200 here, a historic event and momentous occasion. It is a night and a fight card that calls for extraordinary matchmaking, for a main event that stands alone above even the best fights in the history of the sport.
Lawler vs. McGregor is that fight, and it is the fight I believe we'll see. McGregor has to beat Diaz first, though, and that is no easy task. If he's able to do so, a welterweight title challenge is the way to go.
Jeremy Botter covers mixed martial arts for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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