UFC 202: Diaz vs McGregor 2

[wandshogun09]

Saturday 20th August, the rematch is on!

 

 

PPV MAIN CARD

Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor

Glover Teixeira vs Anthony Johnson

Donald Cerrone vs Rick Story

Hyun Gyu Lim vs Mike Perry

Tim Means vs Sabah Homasi

 

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS

Cody Garbrandt vs Takeya Mizugaki

Raquel Pennington vs Elizabeth Phillips

Artem Lobov vs Chris Avila

Randa Markos vs Cortney Casey

 

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS

Neil Magny vs Lorenz Larkin

Colby Covington vs Max Griffin

Alberto Uda vs Marvin Vettori

 

Who says you have to have a title fight on a PPV? It's not quite as stacked on paper as 200 was but I'm pretty much just as excited for it. And I think, unlike 200 which had a couple of fights that always had the potential to be snoozers (Lesnar vs Hunt/Cormier vs Silva) this has a higher chance of actually delivering on the night.

 

 

Diaz vs McGregor 2 then. It's been a bumpy road but it's finally happening and it's only a few weeks out now. This time last year the Diaz/McGregor thing didn't exist. McGregor was fresh off beating Mendes and was gearing up for the massive Aldo fight. And Diaz was completely off the radar. He wasn't taking fights and the only times you'd hear about him was when he'd pop up to complain about his shitty pay and not getting the big fights. What a difference a year makes.

 

This all started, really, around UFC 189 in July 2015. Aldo vs McGregor was originally booked on that PPV and when Aldo got injured and pulled out there were a few names thrown around as replacements. Chad Mendes ultimately ended up getting the fight but Nate Diaz threw his name into the mix.

 

Then it went quiet for a bit until both McGregor and Diaz had fights in December. McGregor knocked Aldo out in 13 seconds to become the featherweight champion. Then just a week later Nate Diaz finally got back in the cage, turning in one of his better performances in completely schooling Michael Johnson to a unanimous decision. Then it happened...

 

 

"Conor McGregor, you're takin' everything I work for motherfucker. I'm gonna fight your fucking ass. You know what's the real fight and what's the money fight. It's me. Not these clowns that you already punked at the press conference. Don't no-one wanna see that, you know you beat them already. That's the easy fight. You want that real shit" - Nate Diaz

 

Diaz called out McGregor live on FOX during his post-fight Rogan interview.

 

McGregor acknowledged the callout but instead opted to go up to lightweight and challenge Rafael Dos Anjos in a champion vs champion superfight in March 2016 at UFC 196.

 

But things have a funny way of working out. With about two weeks to go before 196, Dos Anjos pulled out with a broken foot (or a bruised foot if you believe McGregor). Dana White confirmed that a whole bunch of names were in the running to step in. From Jose Aldo to Frankie Edgar to Urijah Faber to Anthony Pettis to BJ Fucking Penn! In the end, with just 10 days to go until the fight, they went with Nate Diaz. Nate would finally get that big fight and big money. And the fight, between a 145er and a 155er...would be at 170!

 

They were immediately thrust in front of the media to promote the new fight;

 

 

McGregor: I like Nick's little bro. I mean how can you not like him? He's like a little cholo gangsta from the hood, but at the same time he coaches kids jiu-jitsu on a Sunday morning and goes on bike rides with the elderly. He makes gun signs with the right hand and animal balloons with the left hand. You're a credit to the community.

 

Diaz: Fuck you, fuck the belt. I don't give a fuck what you say motherfucker.

Diaz: Who do you train with? You got no training partners.

 

McGregor: I've got world titles and multi-millions of dollars. You got $20,000 to show your last fight and you teach kiddies jiu-jitsu and have to do seminars all across California just to make ends meet.

 

Diaz: You knocked out three midgets and you're pumped up. I'm a real motherfucking fighter.

In amongst all the insults and trash talk, McGregor admitted he respected Nate as a fighter...

 

"There's a lot of pussies in this game and he's not one of them".

 

But, looking back at it now and the way he was talking, there did seem to be some overconfidence there. Especially considering he was going up in weight against a lanky fucker who's known for his durability. I guess knocking out Jose Aldo in seconds will do that to you.

 

He was even more dismissive of Nate at the press conference on fight week;

 

McGregor: Look at Nate's last fight. $20,000 to show/$20,000 to win. His full cheque wasn't even a Performance Of The Night bonus. Now he's out there popping his cherry and he's gonna make his first million here. So he really should be thankful and be grateful for this opportunity that I am giving him.

 

Diaz: You should be thankful too, you got a bigger cheque now than fighting Dos Anjos. It'd have been a little penny cheque with that guy.

 

McGregor: Don't talk about money, you're broke. I could easily switch you up now and put you back on that 20 and 20 if you want. All I want is a thankyou. Or even a little dance. Dance for me, Nate. Dance for me. And don't look me in the eye when you dance.

McGregor: You're like a gazelle, bunched up together hoping you'll get spared. I'm a lion. I'm a lion in there and I'm gonna eat you alive. Your little gazelle friends are gonna be staring through the cage looking at your carcass getting eaten alive. And they can do nothing. All they're gonna do is say 'We're never gonna cross this river again'.

 

Diaz: I got real training partners. Top ten boxers, top ten jiu-jitsu guys, top ten kickboxers. You're playing touch-butt with that dork in the park. The ponytail. And I'm the one who ain't got no training partners? I don't think so. You seem to have it all figured out when you're fighting midgets. You ain't got shit.

Touch-butt in the park

 

So the fight happened. And it was pretty fucking great. A proper bloody slugfest. Both took shots, both talked shit. McGregor got the better of the first round. Pretty clearly, in my opinion. Then in round two I thought his pace was slowing. He obviously just expected Nate to fall over when he connected. He underestimated Nate's toughness and Nate made him pay. It started to go downhill for McGregor when Diaz tagged him with one left hand in particular...

 

 

McGregor was all over the shop after that. His legs were gone and his cardio already seemed to be flagging by this point. He was still throwing big shots even after that but Nate was upping the pace as McGregor was fading. McGregor got desperate and, to everyone's surprise, shot in for a takedown. Big mistake.

 

Nate mounted him, smacked him with a few more punches and slapped on a rear naked choke. He had it locked in quick and McGregor wasn't getting out.

 

 

Over. Nate Diaz had stopped the Conor McGregor unbeaten UFC streak with a second round submission. Nate had not only finally got the big fight and payday, he'd shocked the world by winning! Well, he'd shocked everyone but himself...

 

 

"I'm not surprised, motherfuckers" - Nate Diaz

 

McGregor was pretty classy in defeat;

 

"Hats off to Nate, he stayed in there. It was simply a battle of energy and he got the better of that. This is the game. We win some, we lose some. I will never shy away from a challenge. This is the fight business. It's another day. I'll come back."

Nate kind of had a bit of a gloat. But who could blame him?

 

"In the first, he was quick and had his things to say. I could tell I started smothering his punches and they started easing up. Then I had him on the cage and I said, 'You don't have shit to say now, do you?' And then all of a sudden he's shooting for a takedown and I'm like 'Oh, you're a wrestler now? You're a wrestler?' Remember I'm the black belt in jiu-jitsu and you're shooting in on me? So me and you know this is a wrap."

The buildup to this rematch has been weird. They were meant to headline UFC 200. It's all been well documented and discussed to death. McGregor no-showed the 200 press conference and fucked off for a bit.

 

 

 

McGregor then got into his dispute with the UFC management, retired, started on about fighting Mayweather and all that ridiculousness. Thankfully things got worked out and the fight was rescheduled.

 

They've both been more reserved, well as reserved as these two can get, since this rematch was made official. Nate's been quietly confident as you'd expect. And Conor's been a little less trash talky and, according to John Kavanagh, has been basically shut away doing a Rocky IV style training camp.

 

 

"The last contest was a great fight. I have my reasons why I feel the fight went the way it went. I look forward to August 20 and I will come in and take this man out. I've certainly prepared a little more specific. Normally I don't prepare for a specific opponent. The reason is clear; everyone always pulls out. This time I'm preparing for a tall, lanky, ugly, Mexican southpaw."

 

"I'll beat Nate, get that win back, dominate my division again and then talk trilogy fights with Nate." - Conor McGregor

 

Oh and if you think Nate's happy coming off the biggest win and payday of his life, think again. Like always with the Diaz brothers, Nate has found a way to come into this fight with a 'the world's against me' chip on his shoulder...

 

 

"I've lost decisions that I didn't really lose and if I asked to get a rematch, it was out of the question like 'Are you kidding me, don't even ask.' But this guy is getting praised for wanting a rematch. It's like get the fuck out of here, fuck, this is the fight game."

 

"Have you heard any praise out of Dana White or the UFC for me winning the fight at all? Nothing. At this point it's not even about me and him. It's me versus the whole fucking organization." - Nate Diaz

 

This is going to be some fight. The first one was quality and neither guy had been training for each other. This time they're both coming in having specifically prepared for the other guy and the backstory of the first fight could effect both of them this time. Can McGregor avoid the ground attack of Diaz? Can he pace himself better? What can he do to combat Nate's lanky frame, awkward striking etc? And can Nate do the same thing again? We know he can take a shot. But can he exploit McGregor's weaknesses again? Nate's never been the most consistent fighter.

 

Interesting as well that it's at 170 again. Can't help thinking that could backfire on McGregor but I kind of understand his reasoning. A bit.

 

Here's a fucking excellent Diaz vs McGregor 2 promo...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=W7S6kaNQdd8

 

I seriously can't wait for this. I was so sure McGregor would win the first fight. But now I'm at a loss to predict it really. I'm kind of leaning towards Conor this time but you just never know with Nate. I'm sure he'll be hugely up for this one like he was the first McGregor fight, the Cerrone fight, the Maynard rubber match etc. And style-wise I'd give Nate a good shot at pretty anyone who's mostly going to stand with him. Plus he has the BJJ threat as always. I've just got a feeling Conor will be more patient this time, and more careful of being tagged on the counter. I can actually see this one going the distance with McGregor coming out on top but I could see a whole load of ways this could realistically end.

 

 

Glover Teixeira vs Rumble Johnson is a killer fight. Can't see this one getting out of the first round. Two of the most lethal and devastating strikers in the division. And this is probably a number one contenders fight now, with Jones out of the picture for the foreseeable future. This is the obvious fight to determine DC's next challenger. I'm expecting a short fireworks display here, and I fancy Rumble in a shootout. If it goes longer though, I could see Glover giving him grief with his grappling if he goes that route. Probably a Rumble KO though, but I'd actually love to see Glover batter him.

 

 

Cerrone vs Story is yet another potentially amazing fight. Cowboy's looked good at 170 so far but this is by far his most difficult test at the weight yet. Story is no joke or stepping stone. He's beaten 2010 Thiago Alves (Alves wasn't far removed from his physical best then), he was the first man to beat Johny Hendricks and he also handed Gunnar Nelson his first MMA defeat. He's a tank. Very tough fight for Cerrone, I reckon. Think Story probably wins, to be honest.

 

 

With the loss of Condit vs Maia, Garbrandt vs Mizugaki is now ***WAND'S ONE TO WATCH*** on this card. Really interested to see how Garbrandt goes now. I wasn't that sold on him really but his last fight changed my mind. I never expected him to put Thomas Almeida away inside a round at all. I like this fight though. Mizugaki is a proper veteran who's been in with all the best guys, he doesn't beat them but he's tough and experienced at that level. He's usually fun to watch as well so I'm quite looking forward to this.

 

 

Magny vs Larkin is another solid fight. Magny's someone I've never really gotten into but he's kind of won me around this year. The Lombard win especially. And I'm a big fan of Lorenz Larkin. Weighed in with an Ultimate Warrior tribute and throws Andy Hug style spinning back kicks to the leg! What's not to like? I don't think he beats Magny but Larkin is a guy I'd love to see go on some unexpected streak like RDA/Hunt/Lawler did. And he does have that win over Strikeforce Lawler. Admittedly nowhere near as impressive as a win over UFC Lawler but, still, it's in the record books.

 

What else?

 

• Disappointed that they scrapped that Thiago Alves vs Al Iaquinta fight that was originally pencilled in for this one. It's still on though. Just been moved to UFC 205 at MSG from what I can gather. Makes sense, I guess, with Ragin' Al being a New Yawker and that.

 

• The Artem Lobov vs Chris Avila prelim is interesting in that it's a McGregor teammate (Lobov) vs a Diaz teammate (Avila).

 

• I like Hyun Gyu Lim. He's a fun fighter to watch. Tough as fuck as well. I never forget him taking about a million leg kicks off Tarec Saffiedine (who specialises in the art of smashing the shit out of your legs with his shin) and just screaming at Saffiedine for more in a beautiful moment of courage/defiance/bravado/stupidity/masochism.

 

• And Means vs Strickland could be decent. Means is coming off the PED controversy. He's usually a really exciting fighter to watch. And Strickland just gave UK prospect Tom Breese his first loss.

 

It's a really good card this. It's not as deep as 200 was, obvs, but it's rammed with fights that should be tremendous. Whereas UFC 200 - stacked as it was, there was always a decent chance of Brock just shutting down Hunt, Cormier was always likely to dominate Anderson etc. This card is full of fights that I can't envision falling flat at all.

 

Let's get talking about this shit.

[ColinBollocks]

We'll call this the real 200 main event. It's really the only match that was big enough to help the 200 show break their PPV record, but it obviously didn't work out. Now UFC will have to settle with two shows in two months doing a million plus buys.

 

Anyway, on the fight itself, it's a super interesting match even without all the smack talk. While McGregor got exposed in the first match, a large part of his downfall was due to him clearly looking to end it in the 1st and pretty much running out of gas in the second. Nate basically ate the best McGregor had and ended up finding his range and what not. I guess the two factors that make this a bit more interesting is Nate is coming in with a proper camp and McGregor has ditched the movement coach and is now learning League of Shadows shit. I hope McGregor gets his win back, but for all the reasons I disliked this fight when it was first announced, I can see it going a bit wrong. Be interesting to see a humbled McGregor come in with a solid game plan. Winner gets GSP?

 

I agree with you wand that Maia v Condit is the pick of the undercard. I love watching both men fight and it will be interesting who manages to set the pace. With Maia he seems on a mission to choke out everyone on the way to the belt. I hope Maia wins, seeing as he's 38 and he's surely been forgiven since his last title shot.

[TildeGuy~!]

Unfortunately Condit Vs. Maia has been taken off the 202 card and is now the main event for UFC on Fox 21

[METAL ON METAL]

Best hold off on the excitement of Maia/Condit, gents. It's just been taken off the card and is now happening as the main event of a Fight Night in Vancouver a week after 202.

[wandshogun09]

Oh fuck off. Why is it that as soon as I start these threads fights start falling out or getting moved? I thought 202 was set now with it only being a few weeks away.

 

And to add to it, I'll be in Vancouver in October to see family out there. I could've gone to that FOX show but I'll miss it by a like five or six weeks. Looks a hell of a card now as well with Maia vs Condit, Pettis vs Oliveira, Miller vs Lauzon 2 and VanZant vs Rawlings. Gutted.

 

On the plus side, this means we'll get Maia vs Condit for five rounds instead of three now.

[jimufctna24]

UFC 200 ended up being a bit of a flop. Both from a critical and P.R perspective. The Main Event of this show might help the UFC turn the tide, and divert attention away from the Lesnar/Jones fiasco.  Another upshot is that Diaz or McGregor are unlikely to be busted for performance enhancers. We all know Diaz likes a bit of green, but the Diaz Brothers and Bisping are probably the least likely to be popped for steroids. The same applies with McGregor, who's take a strong stance on the subject himself. 

 

As for the fight itself. I think Diaz is all wrong for McGregor. While McGregor was lighting up Diaz in the first round, I doubt he can do that for a prolonged period of time. At least long enough to get a stoppage or a decision win. All it takes is for Diaz is to find one opening - whether that be on the ground or feet - and McGregor is fucked. That's not a knock on McGregor's chin or ground game. Diaz is one of the best finishers in the game. Check some of his submission wins over grapplers in 2007/2008. A fighter can be very good in an area, but Diaz gets a sniff, it's all over. This is especially the case when a fighters can't overwhelm him with size and strength, which McGregor is unlikely to do. 

 

I think Diaz wins in the middle rounds after a competitive struggle. 

[seanz25]

I'm a bit pissed, but, you know of McGregor and Diaz are gonna throw down here. Gonna be a fucking barnburner that one. Literally you could stick a cow taking a shite for the remaining two hours 15 of this PPV and I'll still watch all of it just for the McGregor Diaz fight.

[theringmaster]

I got a feeling Diaz wins this again and I got a feeling the fight will go the same way as the first; McGregor coming out strong, Diaz being able to handle his best then catching him in the 2/3 as McGregor's game plan starts to dry out.

 

It's really hard to work out what is next for McGregor if he loses, so much of his drawing power will be lost

[jimufctna24]

I'm a bit pissed, but, you know of McGregor and Diaz are gonna throw down here. Gonna be a fucking barnburner that one. Literally you could stick a cow taking a shite for the remaining two hours 15 of this PPV and I'll still watch all of it just for the McGregor Diaz fight.

This reads like the hard-sell that Rogan and Dana do before PPV's. 

 

I agree though, I'm really looking forward to this one. 

[herbie747]

I have no idea who wins this. I think maybe Diaz - by decision, or a submission again in RD3 or 4.

 

Fuck...

[Egg Shen]

it's the kind of fight that everyone has an opinion on, im actually quite shocked that so many people favour Diaz heavily over McGreger though. There are some very strong opinions out there that believe that McGregor has pretty much no chance of winning the fight which i find kind of strange. If McGregor can conserve energy and use his superior movement i can see him picking Nate apart over the course of a 5 round fight. McGregor blew his wad in the first fight by loading up on shots because he thought he could blast Nate out of there, he ended up flat footed, got clipped and Diaz finished it...that could happen again, but i think a more disciplined Conor who picks his shots better and uitilises kicks can give Nate a hard night. Especially given Conor's dedication to preperation, i think he gameplans and fixes the mistakes of the first fight.

 

A few quid will be placed on Mr. McGregor.

[herbie747]

I really, really, want to see McGregor win. But I actually think he'll gas again. Probably in the 3rd this time though.

[lambyUK]

My gut is telling me a Mcgregor win this time around for the reasons mentioned by Egg. It's amazing how one loss changes everyone's perception of a fighter. 

 

Mcgregor will come in lighter, more prepared, and will pick Diaz apart. As long as he's conditioned for a potential 5 rounds then I think he will pull out the win. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a win similar to that of his win against Denis Siver. 

 

The size advantage from Diaz is still a problem, but as mentioned, I think Mcgregor's more diverse striking will see him through. 

[Dead Mike]

There seems to be a lot of discussion (rightly) about McGregor being more prepared this time round but none of this takes into account how little preparation Diaz had in the first fight. The fact Nate came in at the very last minute last time hasn't been mentioned much in the discussion which is a bit odd as that was the biggest thing I took away from the first outing.

I still think this fight is a close one but I think that a full camp Nate is going to be a far trickier prospect than many Connor fans are expecting.  

[David]

If McGregor can conserve energy and use his superior movement i can see him picking Nate apart over the course of a 5 round fight. 

 

Bear in mind that this is a five round fight. How many fighters have you saw who can pick apart a Diaz brother for 25 minutes and not get caught on the ground at some point? Anyone who has lasted the distance with him usually have a very fucking good ground game or solid wrestling base, both of which McGregor doesn't have in my opinion (despite images of him sporting a BJJ brown belt tied up all wrong).

 

McGregor has to win this fight by knock out or TKO. He's not submitting Nate, and the chances of him being able to withstand the kind of boxing pressure that Nate will place on him is slim, as the size difference and reach will play a part.

 

If McGregor wins it's by Josh Thompson style one in a million TKO/KO.