Conor McGregor bested Nate Diaz in a decisive bout at UFC 202 which will certainly be remembered for years to come.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz met once again in the cage for the first time since their bout at UFC 196 which resulted in McGregor being upset by Diaz, ultimately forced to submit.The two met again in the main event of UFC 202 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada where Connor McGregor was looking to redeem himself after only lasting two short rounds in the first go around.
“The Notorious” Conor McGregor came out to “Hypnotize” by Notorious B.I.G which suited the occasion because Nate Diaz made his entrance to “I’m A Souljah” by 2PAC. Very interesting choices being that the artists of the songs had a similar relationship with each other as McGregor and Diaz do.
Once the first round started, we saw what McGregor was talking about when he was saying he has a specific game plan for this fight.
He went for the leg of Diaz which attempted to prevent him from another deadly submission scenario. McGregor landed many significant strikes on Diaz in the first round and knocked him down twice. By the end of the first round, Diaz was busted open and McGregor looked like he was in the driver’s seat.
The beginning of the second round started in the same way in which the first round ended, with McGregor in control. He kept going for the leg of Diaz and landed a couple of powerful hooks, provoking thoughts how much longer Diaz would be able to take this much punishment. However, McGregor began to become gassed and Diaz like the shark that he is smelled blood in the water. He started to take advantage of McGregor and landing a couple of blows but nothing that would get McGregor too rattled.
However, McGregor became relatively gassed and Diaz, like the shark that he is, smelled blood in the water. He started to take advantage, landing a couple of blows but nothing that would get McGregor too rattled.
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The third round then became the Nate Diaz show. Diaz was in control for what seemed to be the entire round and looked like he almost had the fight won, but McGregor would not give up and would not let Diaz’s determination get to him. Diaz had McGregor pushed up against the gate multiple times but McGregor did not let Diaz take him down.
Diaz had McGregor pushed up against the gate multiple times but McGregor did not let Diaz take him down.
Once the fourth round came, you could definitely start to see the battle scars appearing on both fighters from this already classic bout. McGregor looked like he had a little bit more life in him than he did in the previous two which led him out of the way of Diaz’s strikes and it led him back to working on Diaz’s leg. The strategy and stamina helped him win the round.
In the fifth round, as the fight started coming to a close, people were starting to realize that a good round by either man could be a nail in the coffin for their opponent because the bout had been so close.
This round was not much different. Diaz did a lot of work on McGregor in the clinch and McGregor landed many strikes to counter Nate’s offense. By the end of the round, Nate was able to get Conor on the ground and then started striking him from a top mount position.
With that said, it was too late.
The bell had rung and both men felt very confident going into the final decision. Both were proud of their performances and felt like they each had a great shot to get the win.
Then it was time for the judge’s decisions.
The first judge scored it 48-47 Conor McGregor, the second scored it a 47-47 tie, and the third scored it 48-47 McGregor which decisively made McGregor the winner of the all-time classic.
“Man, he’s as tough as they come. I mean, his face was leaking and he’s still in my face,” McGregor told reporters backstage.
“It was a hell of a fight. Very tough fight. I feel very happy with it. It’s one for the ages.”
McGregor said he is willing to be a part of a third fight with Diaz and make it a trilogy. However, he said that, this time, Diaz has to fight under his terms and move down in weight.
“We’ll do it again, this time at 155 pounds. I came up to 170, faced the bigger man, and overcame my adversity. Now you want this trilogy, it happens on my terms. Come back down to 155. We’ll do it.”
Regarding the fight, Diaz stated in a backstage interview, “I thought I won the fight, but they gave it to him … I got paid, it’s all good, you know what I’m saying?”
We will be looking forward to the next fight between these two which would be the tiebreaker: McGregor v. Diaz III.
