UFC 200 is finally starting to materialize, but with more answers comes more questions.
Here I’ll be breaking down what I believe the next several months may look like for the UFC as well as when we can expect to see some of our favorite names back in the Octagon. Exciting times are among us, and great fights are on deck – this is a wonderful time to be an MMA fan.
What’s going on with UFC 200?
After Conor McGregor was booted off UFC 200, the whole MMA community went into a stir as we wondered what the future would hold. Now, as some decisions have been made, the picture is becoming clearer. Jon Jones picked up the win last weekend against Ovince St. Preux which gave the UFC the green light to book him alongside Daniel Cormier at UFC 200. While many fans are upset that Conor McGregor won’t be on the card, I don’t think they should fear as he should be getting a fight booked very soon (more on that later). With that, UFC 200 will be headlined by the light heavyweight rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, but that prompts the question:
Who will be the co-main event at UFC 200?
Dana White once hinted at a massive co-main event to go along with the previous McGregor/Diaz II match up, but with this new headliner, I wouldn’t be surprised if that mysterious co-main event either fell through or got postponed. Many wondered if it would be the return of Georges St. Pierre, and while that may happen at some point, I don’t see it taking place at UFC 200.
As it stands, there are three title fights on the card – Jones/Cormier II, Edgar/Aldo II, and Tate/Nunes. That’s three bouts scheduled for five rounds. You add another main event bout like Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne to fill up the card and you’ve got a solid four-bout main event with three title fights. This should just about maximize their PPV time.
There’s also the likeliness that GSP and the UFC couldn’t come to terms. The French-Canadian commented before on how he and the UFC were in talks, but the Reebok sponsorship deal was the main problem. The UFC is known to not budge on sponsorship negotiations, so it’s very possible that GSP’s return fell through.
What’s going on with Conor McGregor?
The answer to this question is very much a mystery, but we can deduce a few things…
- Conor McGregor is NOT retired
- Conor McGregor is NOT fighting at UFC 200
- Therefore he will be fighting at another event that isn’t UFC 200.
- The UFC hinted at McGregor not being a part of the first New York show either. This could be because they are already planning on having Ronda Rousey’s return saved for this event, and having both Rousey and McGregor on the card would be too expensive.
- The MSG show isn’t until November anyways, I highly doubt McGregor is willing to wait that long when he’s technically ready to fight in July.
- If the MSG show is UFC 204 (one PPV a month), and Conor isn’t fighting on it either, then he will most likely fight before. This leaves 201 (August), 202 (September), or 203 (October).
I’m expecting Conor McGregor to fight at UFC 202. But against whom?
Some say McGregor needs to defend his featherweight title, others say he needs to fight Nate Diaz. In all likeliness it’s going to be one or the other, but Nate Diaz is the much more realistic option and here’s why:
Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo will fight July 9 at UFC 200. Typically, Edgar and Aldo take 4-5 months off after fights (atleast!) even when they’re not injured. Assuming they return at their regular pace, the winner of Edgar/Aldo II won’t be ready to fight until UFC 204 or 205. The winner of Edgar/Aldo II may fight Conor McGregor in their next fight, but I don’t think McGregor fights the winner of Edgar/Aldo II in his next fight. I expect Conor to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 202, and then make a turn around for either UFC 204 (assuming he can fight at MSG), or at UFC 205.
So what about UFC 201? UFC 203? UFC 204?
There are still a couple fights we know are happening that we don’t have a time/place for. The first of which is Robbie Lawler’s welterweight title defense. He might be defending his title against Georges St. Pierre, but he also might be defending against Tyron Woodley or the winner of Rory MacDonald/Stephen Thompson. Regardless, I think UFC 201 is the right card for him. This is also when/where I think we’ll see CM Punk step up to the plate and make his MMA debut. We know it’s happening, but we dont necessarily know when and where. Since he’s not going to be on anything before UFC 200, we can reasonably expect UFC 201 to be the card he debuts on.
Skipping ahead to UFC 203, this could be a number of different scenarios. Timing wise, this could be where the flyweight title, bantamweight title, or middleweight title goes up for defense. It’s going to be sandwiched between two very big events though (UFC 202 – Conor McGregor, and UFC 204 – MSG), so I expect this to be a fairly conservative card.
UFC 204, the UFC’s first card in New York at MSG will most certainly feature some New Yorkers. This could include Jon Jones or Chris Weidman, but will almost certainly include Ronda Rousey’s return. Against whom? No idea, but pretty much anybody will sell well. There’s still the Rousey/Holm rematch to take place, but a trilogy between Miesha Tate and Rousey could also do very well. And, let’s not forget Cyborg Santos. Additionally, I can see Weidman and Rockhold squaring off for a third time if Weidman beats Luke at UFC 199, and the same with Jones/Cormier.
Like I said, very exciting times to be an MMA fan, and it seems we have a stacked 2016 ahead of his. Of course, injuries can throw all of this out the window, but I’m fairly confident we have our UFC 200 card, and we’ll be getting Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz at UFC 202
