RadioOnFire.com - Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight stars Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor clashed last night (Aug. 20, 2016) at UFC 202 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Diaz shocked the world last time around, surprising most everyone but himself. He had the momentum firmly behind him heading into the rematch, but Diaz still needed to walk into the Octagon and take care of business. Meanwhile, McGregor demanded a shot at revenge, and his request was fulfilled. In order to remind fans of his incredible talent, McGregor could not afford a second straight loss to the Stockton-native.
Unlike the last time, McGregor opened the fight with lots of low kicks. Diaz adjusted and managed to avoid/check a couple, but then McGregor landed his gorgeous left hand and dropped Diaz to the mat. Diaz returned to his feet without much problem, but McGregor was very much in control of the bout. Diaz was able to land some jabs and crosses, but he ate some hard punches and continued to absorb low kicks throughout the round. Like the first bout, McGregor undoubtedly took the first frame.
What an incredible fight. An incredible fight that was admittedly marred a bit by the judging, as they awarded McGregor the majority decision win. To his credit, McGregor fought far smarter in this bout. Utilizing his low kicks, McGregor slowed Diaz down quite a bit, making it more difficult for Diaz to pull ahead in the later rounds.
Additionally, McGregor’s more composed left hand found his foe’s chin far more often. By dropping his spinning kicks and lunging lefts, McGregor was able to compete far more effectively into the later rounds. Since it seems that McGregor doesn’t have much interest in defending his Featherweight crown, maybe round three at Lightweight does make sense.
As for Diaz, this definitely sucks. He took McGregor’s best shots and rallied hard, taking over most of the second half of the fight. Diaz undoubtedly landed more shots and pushed the pace, and quite frankly it should’ve been enough to earn him the decision. Nevertheless, Diaz still needs a real answer to the low kicks. He absorbed far too many early in the bout, and it inhibited his ability to chase McGregor down later in the bout.
Run it back!
At UFC 202, Conor McGregor took a controversial majority decision from Nate Diaz. How will the third bout go down?
Source MMAMania
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