Each week, ESPN.com writer and MMA Live Extra analyst Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.
This week, Okamoto squares off with UFC welterweight Carlos Condit to debate the latest news and trends. Condit (30-9), 31, a former welterweight champion, hasn't fought since a controversial decision loss to champion Robbie Lawler in January.
1. Did Conor McGregor make a mistake in agreeing to the last-minute switch of Nate Diaz and 170 pounds?
Condit: He took a risk, that's for sure. Came up short, it happens. I feel like Nick and Nate Diaz are difficult guys to fight on short notice. It takes a good amount of preparation and game planning to beat those guys. I thought Conor's skills looked super sharp. He went out there and landed a lot of great punches. Nate is super tough and has a great chin. A lot of guys have made the mistake of going out and trying to finish him, knock him out with one punch. You could see Conor got visibly fatigued, even in the first round. It seemed like Nate can just overwhelm you. He's got the cardio and a funky style. I think the range and distancing was a huge factor. Conor threw his signature left hand a bunch of times. He connected quite a few times but came up short by a couple inches on others.
Okamoto: Yeah, I'll agree with Condit's wording of it -- it was a risk. He's arguably the biggest star in the entire sport right now, and he agreed to fight a completely different opponent at a completely different weight on 11 days' notice. And as I've said before, this wasn't a "welterweight bout," in that he didn't fight a pure welterweight. Even though Diaz has fought at 170 pounds before, he's a lightweight. But even though he didn't fight a legitimate welterweight, McGreogor did move up two weight classes. The entire experience of not cutting weight during fight week and carrying that weight differently was all new to him. You don't see guys experiment with those kinds of changes when so much is on the line. McGregor took a huge risk, but I can't call it a mistake. It's that "anybody, anywhere, anytime" mentality that has made him so popular.
2. Who should McGregor defend his 145-pound championship against: Jose Aldo or Frankie Edgar?
Condit: I think Edgar deserves the shot, for sure. Edgar has been phenomenal as of late. He knocked out Chad Mendes, who has been a perennial contender. Edgar has been a champion before. He's championship caliber. He just deserves it.
Okamoto: Edgar. I believe, when it's said and done, it will be Aldo. And I'm not even 100 percent against that, but the most-deserving is Edgar. Yes, Aldo was a featherweight champion for six years and that definitely, definitely counts for something. But since 2013, Aldo's record is 4-1, compared to Edgar's 5-1. Edgar has three finishes during that time, compared to Aldo's one. Even though Aldo beat Edgar in early 2013, you can make the case Edgar has been more impressive in the time since. He's coming off a first-round knockout over Mendes. He's a former lightweight champion. Aldo just fought McGregor less than three months and was knocked out in 13 seconds. And he was offered a chance to fight McGregor at UFC 196 on short notice and didn't take it. I'm not trying to dismiss anything about Aldo, he's one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, but if you take everything together here -- Edgar is the more deserving.
3. After last weekend, is the next UFC female bantamweight championship matchup to make Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey?
Condit: I don't know. I'm disappointed Holly [Holm], who is one of my teammates, lost. I would have loved to see her defend the title successfully and then fight Ronda in a rematch. It didn't go that way. I think Rousey vs. Tate, yeah. I don't see why not. Off the top of my head, I can't really think of anybody who is super deserving of a shot other than Ronda. Have Holly fight one of the other contenders, maybe someone like Bethe Correia.
Okamoto: I suppose it is. Although, if Rousey still isn't due back until October or November, I don't see anything wrong with running back Tate vs. Holm at UFC 200. The fight wasn't a barnburner in terms of non-stop action, but it was tense in that you knew Holm couldn't afford to let it go to the ground -- and Tate couldn't afford to not get it to the ground. It's a fun stylistic matchup and had time ran out on Tate and she hadn't gotten a finish in the final round, it likely would have ended in a draw. The UFC wants the Holm vs. Rousey rematch, with a belt on the line, because that's the sellable fight. They could still end up getting that, if Holm were to come back and beat Tate. I don't mind seeing a female bantamweight division that doesn't bend to the schedule of one contender -- I guess that's my main point here. If Rousey isn't ready, then go with the two women who are. I think we saw at UFC 196 that there can still be drama and interest in a 135-pound female fight without Rousey. But of course, I understand the reasons for the UFC keeping Rousey in mind.
4. UFC 196 featured great fights, but two stars (McGregor and Holm) lost. Was it a good or bad night for the sport?
Condit: I think it was a good night for the sport, maybe a bad night in the business sense for the promotion. I don't think Conor loses much. He's still a catalyzing figure in the sport. People are going to come out and watch him fight. Yeah he lost, but he fought his ass off and put on a hell of a show. I would say the rematch between Holm and Rousey loses a little. It would have been best case scenario to have Holly fight Ronda while still holding the belt but we'll see what the future holds. I think the interest can be built back up in that. I would hope a night like that would bring fans back because it showed the unpredictability of the sport. Conor was running through people, he just ran though Aldo, and he fought a guy who is maybe considered a gatekeeper and got finished. You never know in this sport.
Okamoto: This was a good night for the sport. The fights were great, upsets always make for a strong live sports experience if you ask me. Now, if McGregor goes back to 145 and loses his title ... if Holm comes back and fights another contender like Amanda Nunes and loses as well ... then we might be looking back at UFC 196 as the start of a bad run for the UFC's stars, which in turn is a bad run for the UFC itself. Stars drive this vehicle, we all know that. Same goes with Rousey. Was her loss at UFC 193 a bad night for the sport? No, I don't think it was. It's one of the most historic moments in the sport's history. But if she never comes back the same, is it bad for general interest in MMA right now? Obviously, yes. So, I guess we'll see. But UFC 196 was exciting and it's got people talking and that ain't bad.
5. UFC 200 looms in July, but there are four months of fights on the schedule before then. What is the best fight currently scheduled between now and then?
Condit: I would say Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson vs. Rory MacDonald (UFC Fight Night on June 18). MacDonald is a super polished, very technical mixed martial arts fighter in a traditional sense. He's got great boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, good jiu-jitsu. Wonderboy comes from a traditional martial arts background (karate) that isn't traditionally used in MMA, if that makes sense. And that can give people a lot of problems. When Thompson came into the UFC he had issues, guys were taking him down and he wasn't using his range very well. Now that he seems to have those things dialed in, he's able to use that devastating striking ability. Both of those guys are elite strikers but with very different styles. That will make for an exciting fight.
Okamoto: I believe it's the five-round UFC lightweight fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson on April 16. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think there's a chance the party's over at 155 pounds when a healthy Nurmagomedov returns. He's never lost and he's got a win over the current champion, Rafael dos Anjos. If Nurmagomedov comes back and starts smoking this entire division, I will not be surprised. His first fight back though, is coming against an opponent I've had pegged for quite some time as a dark horse in this division. Ferguson hits harder than most 155 pounders, his cardio and strength training seems to be second-to-none, he has no obvious holes to his game. He also seems to have the mental component down, walks into fights completely confident. This matchup will be a dog fight. Trust me.