Conor McGregor to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 196

Conor McGregor will fight Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196 on March 5, the promotion announced Tuesday.

Diaz was added to the marquee event as a replacement after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out due to a foot injury.

McGregor, the incumbent UFC featherweight champion, will not be defending his title against Diaz, as the five-round fight will instead be contested at the 170-pound welterweight limit, according to ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

It will be McGregor's first welterweight fight, while Diaz sports a 2-2 record in welterweight bouts. Moving up two weight classes could be a risky proposition for McGregor, but he reportedly did not hesitate when agreeing to the fight.

McGregor (19-2) is coming off a 13-second knockout win over Jose Aldo in December to claim the featherweight crown. The 27-year-old Irishman is 7-0 in the UFC, with six victories coming by way of knockout.

Diaz (18-10) earned a decision win over Michael Johnson in December at lightweight. The Stockton, Calif., native, 30, wasn't Dana White's first choice to fill in for Dos Anjos, he revealed on "SportsCenter," but the UFC president believes Diaz-McGregror is certainly a fan-friendly fight.

"We called Jose Aldo; Jose Aldo turned the fight down," White said. "We called Frankie Edgar; Frankie Edgar turned the fight down. Those are two guys everybody was talking about.

"A lot of guys wanted this fight, but we ended up with Nate Diaz. We felt this was the fight to make and the fight the fans wanted to see."