Postal Connections: Conor McGregor, the 209 and Wanderlei Silva

Here we are on the precipice of another Conor McGregor fight, and guess who everyone wants to talk about? We have the haters hoping he gets served that big plate of humble pie, and we have the acolytes who just can’t wait until he trounces Robbie Lawler to take the welterweight title at UFC 200 this summer. We’ll touch on a number of other subjects, from tattoos to Wanderlei Silva, in the latest installment of the Postal Connections mailbag:

It sucks that Nate Diaz is probably going to lose to this Irish [expletive] at UFC 196 on Saturday because someone needs to shut him up. Martial arts is about respect, and this guy doesn’t respect a thing. -- Anonymous (email redacted)

Well, I’m not sure I can get on board with this statement. First off, if you’re hoping Diaz is the one to knock off McGregor, then I really have to question how much “respect” really means to you when it comes to MMA fighters. As for “Mystic Mac,” in the immortal words of Reggie Jackson, “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” Yes, he has done a ton of talking, but the guy has beaten everyone the UFC has put in front of him and he has done it in impressive fashion.

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Dude, Diaz called Conor out, has 38 fights, just fought two months ago and was training for a triathlon. He’s ready. -- @JohnCollison

I don’t doubt at all that Diaz is going to come into this fight ready to get after it. Like you mention, he has the in-cage experience, the pedigree and the “Don’t Give a [Expletive]” attitude that should allow him to fight McGregor in a confident manner. I’m not 100 percent sure about the training for a triathlon, though.

Diaz didn’t look in especially great shape at the press conference last week, and even if he was training for an endurance race, that doesn’t necessarily translate to an MMA fight. This is where I think he may run into problems. I think he’ll start out well but fade as the pressure from McGregor mounts.

Diaz’s best hope, from my perspective anyway, would be to get the fight to the mat and utilize his marked submission advantage. I’m just not sure how he gets it down there. Either way, I’m looking forward to an awesome fight between two stars of the sport that always show up to scrap.

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The UFC is screwed if McGregor loses this fight. It has put all its eggs in his basket and will pay for it if he loses to a nobody like Diaz. What do you think? -- Albert

Well, has any fighter become instantly unmarketable with one loss? Not as far as I can remember. Ronda Rousey has had a rough patch since dropping her title to Holly Holm in November, but her star hasn’t diminished a bit.

Even if a loss robs the Irishman of some of his hyperbolic thunder, people are still going to want to see him fight. There will be the diehard fans and the observers who just want to see him lose. He will still wield plenty of power and leverage within the company, with a win or a loss at UFC 196.

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I am hoping Conor will do the right thing and fight Frankie Edgar after this ridiculous fight. He owes him a fight and needs to prove he isn’t running from Edgar. I know you and Jordan Breen said he won’t fight at 145 pounds again, but I hope you’re wrong. -- Joey in Philly

Unfortunately for Edgar, I have to stand by my prediction that McGregor is done cutting to featherweight. I think he’ll hold onto that belt until he fights for either the lightweight or welterweight strap at UFC 200 in July, health permitting of course. His dream of holding multiple belts consecutively will probably hold up the 145-pound title for at least a few more months.

Regarding Edgar, if he wants to fight McGregor, he’s going to have to move back to 155 pounds -- a weight the UFC has said it didn’t want him fighting at when it asked him to drop down. I’m sure the UFC would be OK with him jumping back up to the division he ruled as recently as 2012 if it meant a super fight with McGregor.

I hope we get to see this fight, but I have a feeling McGregor will square off with Lawler first; and who knows what happens if he somehow wins the 170-pound belt. I don’t think Edgar can jump up that high. I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.

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What are your opinions about Wanderlei Silva signing with Bellator MMA? It seems like it is just becoming the place for old guys to fight. -- Brian M.

On the surface, it is hard to argue with your assessment, but if you peel back the layers of the onion a little bit, you’ll see that Bellator and its leader, Scott Coker, are just continuing down the path blazed during his Strikeforce days. The plan has been made a little harder this time around because the UFC has signed so many fighters -- upwards of 550-600 on the roster at any one time -- that there just isn’t as much available talent for them to bring in.

Bellator has had to scrape the bottom of the barrel in some cases and has been fortunate in others. We’ve seen Ken Shamrock back in the cage at 50-plus years of age, and we have seen mega-prospect Aaron Pico forgo his collegiate years to sign a professional contract with the Spike-broadcast promotion. It’s definitely been a bit of a mixed bag.

The signing of Silva really was a no-brainer, providing Bellator didn’t have to mortgage the farm to do it. He brings instant name recognition, something the company has to have if it’s going to increase its ratings. If Bellator wants a home run right off the bat, it can match him up with arch nemesis Quinton Jackson or set up a rematch with Tito Ortiz. Those fights will do some serious business for the network.

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What do you think about a UFC broadcaster like Jon Anik picking a winner before a fight in the promotion he works for? If you didn’t see it, he said he would get a 209 tattoo on his arm if Diaz could beat McGregor. I think it is very unprofessional. -- Anonymous (email redacted)

Considering Anik isn’t going to be calling the action at UFC 196, I don’t have a huge problem with him stating his opinion on his podcast. I do think it was a tad bit disrespectful to talk about getting a tattoo, and I assume Diaz thought the same thing after hearing his response that he would soon be slapping Anik.

I don’t think for a second Anik has anything but the utmost respect for Diaz or any elite MMA fighters, for that matter. I just view this as him joking around and it being picked up before eventually getting back to Diaz. Would he say it again? Probably not, but either way, it really isn’t that big of a deal. Hopefully Diaz takes it easy on him when he sees him.

Sherdog.com Executive Editor Greg Savage can be reached by email or Twitter @TheSavageTruth. If you would like to have your question or comment answered in the weekly Postal Connections mailbag, please submit them by Wednesday evening each week.