The hype from Conor McGregor's incredible 13 second knockout of Jose Aldo had barely began to settle down when a new wave of hype took over in the wake of UFC 195, as reports emerged that the UFC were planning another bumper card for UFC 197 on March 5th.
While we know for sure that Holly Holm will defend her belt for the first time against Miesha Tate, we are still waiting for confirmation that Conor McGregor will fight Rafael Dos Anjos for the lightweight title. We say that we are waiting for confirmation, but in reality we are simply waiting for an official graphic of McGregor posing next to Dos Anjos to emerge on a verified UFC account, because the silence is deafening in regards to a lack of denial of the story.
Should he win, Conor McGregor will cement his place as a legend of the sport, quicker than anyone thought humanly possible. A look at any discussion forum or social media platform will show you that even those who distance themselves from the Dubliner are acknowledging that nobody can deny his dominance should he move up and make light work of Rafael Dos Anjos.
Meanwhile, the man who believes he is overdue a shot at McGregor is left in doubt as to what happens next for him.
Frankie Edgar has spoken for the first time since news of the decision to allow McGregor to go up a division and immediately challenge for a title, something that was denied of him when he wanted to do the same thing, filtered through to him.
While Edgar is left frustrated by the decision, he also accepts that Conor's numbers to allow him a certain degree of favouritism.
When you have that power he has, he brings in money for them, you can dictate a little more than others. Money talks. And when you bring in the money, I guess you can have more of a say.
I honestly don’t really know what I’m going to do yet,. I’ve got to weigh some things out. Do I want to wait for Conor, could something happen? Someone get injured? Do I want to wait for that fight or fight and make some money? That’s what I’m weighing right now.
It's a tricky situation for Edgar. Having KO'd Chad Mendes, there are only two serious possibilities for him were he to take a fight before what many would expect would be a showdown with McGregor at UFC 200.
He could fight Jose Aldo again, but will he be ready to fight again in the required timeframe? He did say he wanted McGregor's next fight to be a rematch with him after all. The Brazilian is the last loss on Frankie's record, after Aldo defeated him via unanimous decision in 2013. In that case, it would be a shot at redemption for Aldo, but would it really be fair on Frankie to give him such a tough test and then ask him to fight Conor at UFC 200 too?
Then there is Max Holloway. The last loss on his record is Conor McGregor, and the Hawaiian has looked outstanding since that defeat, which was the only time the Irishman did not finish his opponent in the UFC. Holloway has said his piece and claimed that he deserves a shot at the title, but in reality he would need to overcome someone like Edgar, Aldo or even Mendes first.
Then there is the option of waiting. That entire plan rests on Conor McGregor beating Rafael Dos Anjos will few complications, and being ready to defend his belt for the first time by UFC 200.
The good thing for fans of the sport is that whatever does happen next will be extremely exciting. Should Egdar accept a fight before Conor, it's just another big fight to look forward to. Should he choose to wait it out, then he will get the shot he's been waiting for, it's just a matter of when.
