UFC 196
| Company type | Event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | March 5, 2016 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event that took place on March 5, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Background
Initially announced in November 2015 as "UFC 197" and scheduled for the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the event was ultimately canceled and moved due to financial and logistical complications. On January 12, it was officially confirmed that the event would be hosted at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.[1]
The original plan had the card set for Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil, featuring a heavyweight rematch between reigning champion Fabrício Werdum and ex-champion Cain Velasquez, with a potential matchup between former middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping. However, injuries delayed the heavyweight bout to a February event initially labeled "UFC 196," which consequently became a less prominent card. Efforts to keep Brazilian fans engaged by scheduling Silva against former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort were unsuccessful when Belfort declined. This sequence of events led to canceling the Brazilian event and relocating it to Las Vegas.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
The Werdum versus Velasquez fight was eventually scrapped altogether, converting the February card into a "UFC Fight Night" event and reassigning the March 5 show as UFC 196.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
The headliner was anticipated to be a UFC Lightweight Championship contest featuring champion Rafael dos Anjos against Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor. This matchup would have marked only the second occasion where titleholders from different weight classes competed for the same belt. Nevertheless, dos Anjos withdrew due to injury. Replacement offers were extended to former featherweight champion José Aldo and ex-lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, both of whom declined because of insufficient preparation time and injury, respectively. Ultimately, former lightweight title contender Nate Diaz stepped in for dos Anjos, moving the bout to the welterweight division.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Supporting the main event was a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship fight between then-champion Holly Holm and former Strikeforce bantamweight titleholder Miesha Tate.[1]
Additional alterations included Michael Johnson pulling out of a lightweight rematch against Tony Ferguson due to injury; Ferguson was later rescheduled to face Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on Fox 19. A welterweight clash between Brandon Thatch and Siyar Bahadurzada, initially slated for another event, was transferred here because of Thatch’s medication complications.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Bonus awards
The following competitors earned $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
- Performance of the Night: Nate Diaz and Miesha Tate
Reported payout
The disclosed fighter payouts submitted to the Nevada Athletic Commission do not include sponsorship earnings or UFC "fight night" bonuses:
- Nate Diaz: $500,000 (without win bonus) defeated Conor McGregor: $1,000,000
- Miesha Tate: $92,000 (including $46,000 win bonus) defeated Holly Holm: $500,000
- Ilir Latifi: $50,000 (including $25,000 win bonus) defeated Gian Villante: $36,000
- Corey Anderson: $40,000 (including $20,000 win bonus) defeated Tom Lawlor: $28,000
- Amanda Nunes: $56,000 (including $28,000 win bonus) defeated Valentina Shevchenko: $14,000
- Siyar Bahadurzada: $38,000 (including $19,000 win bonus) defeated Brandon Thatch: $22,000
- Nordine Taleb: $30,000 (including $15,000 win bonus) defeated Erick Silva: $34,000
- Vitor Miranda: $32,000 (including $16,000 win bonus) defeated Marcelo Guimarães: $13,000
- Darren Elkins: $74,000 (including $37,000 win bonus) defeated Chas Skelly: $21,000
- Diego Sanchez: $150,000 (including $75,000 win bonus) defeated Jim Miller: $59,000
- Jason Saggo: $20,000 (including $10,000 win bonus) defeated Justin Salas: $16,000
- Teruto Ishihara: $34,000 (including $17,000 win bonus) defeated Julian Erosa: $12,000