The Prequel
Nate Diaz 1, Conor McGregor 0. After a brutal second round and eventual rear-naked choke by Nate Diaz, McGregor had received his first ever UFC loss. This fight at welterweight was Conor’s first in this weight class. His breathing rapidly got more intense as the first round ended. This main event was the complete opposite of what all watchers expected and what McGregor had trained so hard for.
It was clear that these two had to be in the cage together again. They brought so much publicity and so much ferocity that made it one hell of a rivalry. McGregor had things to take away from the fight and so did Diaz. McGregor needed to hold on to the weight to stay at 170 but he also needed to heavily improve his cardio. He needed to be able to last 25 minutes with Diaz. Meanwhile, Diaz needed to prepare better for McGregor’s strikes. Diaz left the first round with a face full of blood and was in a world of danger until he struck Conor down and eventually choked him. Diaz betters at the best online casino cashed in on the +340 odds for him to win.
The Leadup to the Second Bout
The pre-fight presser for Diaz vs. McGregor 2 was one of the most entertaining, yet short pressers UFC has ever witnessed. Diaz had shown up on time and was addressing questions regarding Conor and him moving up to 170 lbs to fight him while McGregor was making his way to the presser.
As McGregor arrived at the presser, Diaz felt a sudden wave of disrespect. McGregor spoke about being late, didn’t apologize, and blamed it on the Vegas traffic because “there must be a McGregor show going on.” Understandably, Diaz dramatically stood up, left the stage, and exchanged several expletives with McGregor. Both fighters held up their middle fingers towards each other as they expressed their anger. Eventually, McGregor had to be held back, or else he was moving to strike Diaz. And that was the end of the presser.
And this animosity continued through their pre-fight open workouts and the ceremonial weigh-ins. Both fighters wanted to take the other’s head off immediately.
Fight Night… Blood, Sweat, and Tears
And “fight” exclaimed the referee. Round 1 was on its way. McGregor opened the fight up as he always does. Leg kicks on leg kicks. McGregor looked so polished. He dictated the pace. He landed strong left counters and stiff right jabs all around long. The round was as clear a 10-9 as can be.
In the second round, McGregor continued those calf kicks. Even after Diaz’s corner told him, “no free kicks,” he could not manage to stop them. There was visible bruising on his legs and they became quite purple. And through this round, we saw the first big strike where McGregor knocked Diaz down with an overland left. Diaz was shaken to the ground, however, McGregor refused to take advantage of this and told Diaz to get up to his feet. But the American Nate Diaz has the heart of a champion. Towards the end of the 2nd round, he pushed the pace hard and managed to land his own combinations.
It was the third round when Nate Diaz looked as if he were pulling away. McGregor’s cardio began dwindling and Diaz’s heart was shown. On many occasions, McGregor circled the ring and jogged away from Diaz to simply get a second of extra rest. His body had still not gotten used to 170 yet. Many beat reporters claimed the third may have even be a 10-8 for Diaz.
The championship rounds had begun and McGregor had a second awakening. He seemed much more vigorous and aggressive in the fourth. He seemed hungry for the victory against Diaz. Though Diaz still landed many heavy blows throughout the round, McGregor seemed to land some heavy elbows and hold Diaz in the clinch.
The fifth round was what makes this fight, my favorite fight of all time. The crowd was jumping. Both fighters were swinging and swinging, taking turns landing blow after blow. Right before the bell rang, Diaz landed one strong takedown and viewers thought that may influence the final decision.
“Your victor by majority decision… The Notorious Conor McGregor.” At the end of this dogfight, we saw McGregor put his heart and soul into this match. He put every ounce of sweat into beating Diaz. And it was a solid decision. “The king is back” exclaimed McGregor. Indeed he was. Very impressive performance by both fighters which awarded this fight the 2016 UFC Fight of the Year.