For a few years, it seemed like the UFC was the target of a terrible gypsy curse that struck down every awesome fight that was booked with some random injury or another. The past two years have finally seen a run of good luck for the promotion, but mixed martial arts is a tough sport and fighters are gonna get hurt training. The latest casualty: lightweight champ Rafael Dos Anjos, who was set to face Conor McGregor on March 5.
Here’s MMA journalist Ariel Helwani filling you in over Twitter:
Déjà vu all over again for @TheNotoriousMMA. This would be the fourth time in 8 UFC fights that he’s had to adjust to a change in opponent.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 23, 2016
He tweeted through a list of potential opponents, saying Frankie Edgar was unavailable due to injury while lesser lightweight competition such as Nate Diaz and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone were being considered. There’s no shortage of fighters willing to step up and take on McGregor. Unfortunately for McGregor, only Rafael Dos Anjos has a belt and would have allowed Conor to make history as the first multi-division champion.
McGregor will have to make do with another big paycheck and thank of all the fans who have already bought plane tickets to Vegas to see him. That was apparently a driving force behind his decision to face the very difficult Chad Mendes after Jose Aldo pulled out of their title fight in 2015. Now there’s that … plus McGregor railing on all the “bums” in the UFC who keep pulling out of fights.
“I need to feed every one of yous that’s in the game, so I’ve gotta keep working,” he said at the MMA Awards a few weeks back. “Because yous bums don’t work. You’ve got the heavyweight champion, he’s a pussy. Pulling out with a sore toe. How’s the heavyweight champion gonna pull out with a sore toe? What kind of champion is that? The game is on its knees.”
