UFC wanted Khabib-McGregor, GSP-Diaz lightweight tournament
The UFC reportedly wanted a lightweight tournament with Nurmagomedov fighting McGregor in the fall and St-Pierre vs Diaz in August, with the two winners facing off at the end of the year. The GSP-Diaz bought was cancelled due to GSP’s illness. St-Pierre:
I’m not ready to fight yet. I need to wait until all the symptoms of my ulcer stop. It’s much better than it was but it’s not 100 percent yet. If I try to return for a training camp for a fight it will amplify and go back to what it was in the beginning. I need to get over this first for my own health and safety.
The Nurmagomedov-McGregor bout is impacted by McGregor’s legal issues. However, Nurmagomedov’s camp has also been pushing for a match up with St-Pierre instead, which they call a “legacy” bout.
Conor McGregor to face Nate Diaz in return to UFC
The Sunday World reports McGregor is planning to fight Diaz, in the third round of a trilogy, tentatively scheduled for December 30, in Las Vegas. The Irishman has split the first two bouts against the American fighter, with Diaz winning the first by submission, and McGregor winning the second with a majority decision. It is reported that McGregor’s friends and family are so sure of the fight being announced that they have already booked flights to Las Vegas. Insider:
Conor has told them that only the ‘Is’ have to be dotted and the ‘Ts’ crossed for this to go ahead.