According to a report from MMAFighting.com, Nate Diaz will square off with McGregor at 170 pounds for a second time in the UFC 200 main event on July 9. The bout is not official but is expected to be announced soon.
Diaz defeated McGregor via rear-naked choke 4:12 into the second round at UFC 196 on March 5 in Las Vegas. McGregor was initially supposed to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title in the UFC 196 headliner, but Diaz stepped in on short notice when the Brazilian champion broke his foot in training.
UFC 196 was a box-office hit, as promotion head Dana White recently claimed that the event did 1.5 million pay-per-view buys. It is unclear when McGregor, who captured the featherweight title with a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194, will defend his crown. Both Aldo and Frankie Edgar have been vocal in recent weeks in lobbying for a shot at the Irishman’s 145-pound belt.
UFC 200 takes place at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will also reportedly include a heavyweight clash between Cain Velasquez and Travis Browne as well as a middleweight showdown pitting Gegard Mousasi against Derek Brunson.