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UFC 197 : McGregor’s and Holm’s era begins

Holly Holms

Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey for the Bantamweight championship.

 

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to become the third multi-divisional champion in UFC history when he meets lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 197 on March 5. Obviously that’s a gigantic PPV if it becomes official. Dos Anjos (25-7) is coming off a 66 second mauling of Donald Cerrone in the UFC on FOX 17 main event on December 19th. It’s the Brazilian’s first successful defense of his title. McGregor (19-2) unforgettably knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 to become the UFC’s new featherweight champion. His goal was to simultaneously hold two UFC titles, and he’s evidently getting that shot at an historical achievement.McGregor, who is 7-0 in the Octagon, has not fought in the 155-pound division since he signed with the UFC in 2013. Dos Anjos is riding a five-fight win streak, including a dominant five-round performance against Pettis in March that won him the belt.

While Dos Anjos may not have appreciated how Conor went about it on his now infamous ‘red panty night’ rant, it is true that this would be the most lucrative and high profile title defense available to him. Can McGregor handle moving up in weight? Absolutely.The Irish fighter’s punching power has been undeniable in the featherweight class, but a move up to 155 pounds will be another test of his renowned self-belief. McGregor will be a huge underdog in the tittle fight against  Dos Anjos but i believe,he wouldn’t want it any other way.

UFC, is looking for it’s mega star. With John Jones, having to rebound from a suspension , now is a great time  to bank on McGregor.While holding two belts at once would be unprecedented, he would also be just the third fighter to win titles in two different divisions (Penn and Randy Couture being the first two).Fighters must generally vacate their title to move up divisions, yet UFC president Dana White just left the door open for McGregor’s audacious bid. With  nothing to lose and everything to gain, 2016 is shaping up to being a great ride for the fighting Irish McGregor.

Holly Holm will make her first bantamweight title defense against Miesha Tate as the card’s co-main event. Holm claimed the title in devastating fashion last year when she knocked out the unbeaten Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in Melbourne. Tate was thought to have secured a third crack at “Rowdy,” following her one-sided dismissal of Jessica Eye back in July, but the powers that be didn’t want that to happen, which led to the former Strikeforce titleholder to question whether she still belonged in MMA. This fight will be a classic style clash of a  striker vs  grappler . Rousey would be expected to challenge the winner of Holm vs. Tate when she’s healed up and finished with Hollywood stint. Should Tate dethrone the newly crowned champ, it would set up a third fight between Tate and Rousey. While the trilogy doesn’t pack the punch of Holm-Rousey II, it is still a fight that will appeal to fans and more importantly set up an intriguing fight triangle between Holm, Rousey and Tate which has the potential to unfold over the course of 2016.  All roads lead to a rematch or trilogy tussle at UFC 200.

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