UFC 197 takes place on March 5th and will reportedly take place in Las Vegas, not Rio de Janeiro as originally believed.
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First, featherweight champion Conor McGregor will move up to 155 pounds and challenge titleholder Rafael dos Anjos for the belt.
Also expected to appear on the card is a women’s bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Holly Holm and former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate.
McGregor, who held both featherweight and lightweight titles in previous promotion Cage Warriors, looks set to attempt to become the first man in UFC history to do the same now that all talk of vacating his 145 lb strap seems to have been abandoned.
If Conor McGregor defeats the risky dos Anjos, he will do the unthinkable and hold two belts at once.
According to a source close to the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity, verbal agreements are in place, but the bout agreements have not been signed.
“The Preacher’s Daughter” has yet to taste defeat since making the switch to mixed martial arts in 2011.
UFC 197 will take place at either Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena or Mandalay Bay Events Center, sources said.
McGregor (18-2) is coming off a blistering 13-second knockout over former champion and pound-for-pound best Jose Aldo, snapping the Brazilian’s 15 fight win streak in the while earning the undisputed featherweight title in the process. The original rumors were for a Holm-Rousey rematch at UFC 200, but president Dana White said Wednesday that the new champion will fight before she faces Rousey again.
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But now Tate has been awarded that elusive title shot due to the fact that Holm has made it clear that she wants to remain as active as possible and the expectation that Ronda Rousey will be out until the summer at least, due to her injuries and prior engagements. In her most recent bout, “Cupcake” walked away with a dominant decision over Jessica Eye in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 17 in July.
