Mixed martial arts fans are in for a treat as the UFC has just announced some major fights for an event right around the corner. UFC 197 was originally set to take place in Brazil with a rumored fight between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. But due to various complications including issues with the Brazilian economy and Belfort’s alleged reluctance to fight, the event was cancelled. Now it has been revived in Vegas and the UFC has stacked it with two major title fights:
UFC makes it official: Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos & Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate will co-headline UFC 197 on March 5 in Las Vegas.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 12, 2016
The Conor McGregor fight is historic in that it’s only the second time in UFC history that a champion from one weightclass has been allowed to move up and challenge the champion in another. To add to the excitement, the UFC has said if McGregor wins the lightweight strap, they will let him keep his featherweight belt and defend both at the same time.
McGregor has already started to promote the fight, calling out Rafael Dos Anjos for living in America and announcing on Facebook that he “has chosen to dedicate this demolition job to the loyal people of Brazil and all the fans around the globe who stay true to their roots and loyal to their land” and will “behead the ‘American Gringo’ Rafael Dos Anjos, in the name of La Brasilia!” Okay then.
Holly Holm needs no introduction – the world already knows her from her devastating head kick knockout of Ronda Rousey. Originally the UFC was planning on keeping Holm on the shelf until UFC 200 in July to rematch Rousey, but something changed over the past week and now Holm will get the fight she’s been angling for since winning the belt: a match with #1 contender Miesha Tate. It’s a tough matchup for Holm as Tate is known for her solid wrestling skills and it’s hard to knock people out with leg kicks when you’re pinned down to the mat.
We’re only two weeks into the new year and already the UFC has surprised us with a massive card that’s going down in less than two months. Combine that with Werdum vs Velasquez for the heavyweight title on February 6th and Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping on February 27th, and we may be witnessing the biggest start to the year in the history of the sport!