McGregor gets revenge, defeats Diaz by decision

Nate Diaz was the only man to ever defeat Conor McGregor in the UFC Octagon and UFC 202 was McGregor’s chance for redemption. The two fought a back and forth war and when the judges’ scorecards were read, McGregor had succeeded. The fight was ruled a Majority Decision has one judge had the fight a draw and the other two for McGregor.

In the first round, McGregor showed a significantly evolved game plan, battering the lead leg of Diaz over and over. Diaz checked a couple of attempts, but the overwhelming majority landed over and over. Adding to that was a crisp left hand that rocked and dropped Diaz to the canvas. The Stockton native was able to withstand the pressure, but McGregor did a significant amount of damage in the opening frame.

The second round was a tale of two rounds. In the first half, McGregor picked up where he left off. He dropped Diaz with a left hook not once, but twice. The leg kicks also continued. In the second half, however, McGregor’s pace slowed. Diaz, sensing McGregor weakening, picked up the pace and began to land at will. McGregor was clearly hurt and while still on his feet, a visibly lesser fighter than how the round started.

The third defies description. While McGregor never took a massive blow that put him in deep trouble, Diaz continued the drive to tire and put McGregor away. The two would wrestle in the clinch, which seemed to make things worse for McGregor. Towards the end of the frame with his back against the fence, Diaz seemed on the verge of putting McGregor away before the bell sounded.

McGregor appeared to come back to life a bit in the fourth. Both took their fair share of shots and there was wrestling in the clinch, but McGregor did a better job of dodging, getting back to the leg kick and countering Diaz’s jab. Diaz scored his own offense, working McGregor in the clinch and pot shotting on the outside.

Heading into the fifth, the only fair thing to say is the battle between the two is an all-time classic. Diaz appeared to be the fresher of the two, landing hard shots in the clinch again. McGregor did what he could to respond, landing counters, but most of the fight was spent along the fence. At the end of the frame, Diaz tripped McGregor to the mat and spent the final seconds pounding on McGregor from top position.

In the end, the judges scored it 48-47 McGregor, 47-47, 48-47 McGregor, awarding a majority decision.

source: mmafighting.com

The fight was applauded across the media and from fans on social media. It was awarded ‘Fight of the Night’ by the UFC and each athlete was awarded an additional $50,000 on top of their individual fight purses.

UFC President Dana White said before UFC 202 that Conor McGregor’s next fight will be a defense of his featherweight title, but after that fight, a trilogy fight with Diaz is probably the biggest money-making fight the UFC could put together.

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz Highlights