McGregor vs. Diaz at UFC 196: Nate Diaz will fight Conor McGregor at UFC 196, stepping into the vacancy opened by injured lightweight titleholder Rafael dos Anjos, UFC announced Tuesday. One interesting wrinkle: They'll be battling at welterweight (170 pounds), a two-class jump for McGregor, who holds the featherweight title and was slated to fight dos Anjos for the lightweight belt. Holly Holm will still defend her world bantamweight title against Meisha Tate in the main undercard match. [UFC]
Here. We. Go. #UFC196
Posted by UFC on Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Late to the Punch: As UFC scrambled to confirm the Diaz-McGregor slate, other fighters threw their hats into the ring—among them a 10-gallon hat belonging to welterweight fighter Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, Cerrone's manager confirmed. [FOX Sports]
Damm, Son: Jean-Claude Van Damme is set to star in Jean-Claude Van Johnson, an action-comedy produced by Amazon Studios, in which the famous actor/martial artist portrays a famous actor/martial artist, who also happens to moonlight as a secret black-ops mercenary named, imaginatively, Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Meta. [The Hollywood Reporter]
The Tiger Shows His Claws: Tiger Woods has been taking quite the beating in the press recently, as commentators and fans have pilloried the game-changing golf star over his injuries and miscues on the green. Forget all that: The former champ would like you to know that he's progressing nicely:
Progressing nicely. pic.twitter.com/HKnnluR1OW
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 24, 2016
When Golfers Strike Back: Speaking of which, Rory McIlroy is would like to remind the old fat haters of world that he is just fine squatting 265 pounds as part of his training, thank you very damn much. [Men's Fitness]
Winter Is (Still) Coming: Shout out to the baddest mother(of dragons)f*cker in Westeros, Daario Naharis:
“I have only two talents in this world: war and women.” #GoTSeason6#GameofThronespic.twitter.com/fuGcQ2fUoU
— HBO NL (@HBOnl) February 24, 2016
Canceling the Apocalypse, Part 2: Pacific Rim 2 is definitely happening, and it's set to be directed by Daredevil head writer and Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight. He even got the okay from Guillermo del Toro, who created and directed the epic monster-vs-mech flick in 2013. [The Verge]
The Heroes We Deserve: When Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice finally hits theaters on March 25, it will carry a PG-13 rating—the standard billing for tentpole superhero blockbusters (besides Deadpool, of course). But when the movie gets released on Blu-Ray DVD, the director's cut will get an R rating for "sequences of violence" (but not, apparently, any super-powered scenes between the Man of Steel and Lois Lane). [Empire]
RGIII's Departure Is All But Official: Washington quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III will get "an opportunity with another team," team president Bruce Allen said during an interview on the Dan Sileo Show. "From the very beginning, Robert has handled himself like a professional," Allen said. "When we drafted him all the way through, he's been a good teammate and a good guy." [ESPN]
