Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor have verbally agreed to rematch at UFC 200…at welterweight, no less, where neither were hubbed prior to squaring off earlier this month. Suddenly an arbitrary meeting to save a card has become something to plan and bank on for the next landmark event.
Not only did the original distraction work, but now the distraction becomes the attraction. Which is, of course, a little bit bogus.
McGregor shouldn’t get a mulligan for losing a fight that only made sense because of extenuating circumstances to begin with. It was a fun fight, one that could be revisited down the road under refreshed stakes, but what about the division that McGregor won the belt in? What about Frankie Edgar, who was promised a shot after obliterating Chad Mendes? What about Jose Aldo who held the belt for a decade? What about those directly beneath the Edgar’s and Aldo’s who find themselves in a constrictive space with no real opening?
If McGregor has it within his power to delegate red panty nights, he’s leaving a lot of people out there to go commando.
It was one thing for McGregor to jump to lightweight for the chance of holding two titles concurrently; that was all about his prowess and daring. But this "why not" jump to welterweight feels a little bit promiscuous. It leaves a lot of things undone, a lot of people wondering why they bother. It leaves a lot of former champions —people who’ve gone a long way to earn company respect — in the proverbial lurch.
At this point, McGregor should be asked to cede his featherweight belt. Or, short of that, an interim title fight should be booked between Edgar and Aldo, just to keep things moving while he’s out straying. Should Aldo win, then the rematch is set for his return. If Edgar wins, hey, Edgar-McGregor at long last. Either way, there’s activity rather than a bunch of people idling.
LINK: With Conor McGregor eloping to 170, the featherweight belt needs to go back up for grabs
