Conor McGregor avenged his UFC 196 loss to Nate Diaz on Saturday night [August 20], securing a majority decision in a contest that went the distance. The fight was a nail biter, swinging Diaz' way after McGregor virtually dominated the first two rounds, but seeing the smaller McGregor stave off a ground assault that would likely have put the match in the bag for his Jiu Jitsu savvy counterpart. The judges had the bout 48-47, 47-47, and 48-47 to give McGregor the victory by a two-point margin.
"Surprise, surprise, motherf**er. The king is back!" the reigning featherweight champ shouted after snatching the microphone from the hands of UFC president, Dana White, during his post-fight interview.
The match's result spoke to McGregor taking on a more cautious approach than he took during their first fight in March. Fans will recall that after a similar first round, in which McGregor lived up to his reputation as an elite striker, he got a little above himself with how aggressively he took the fight to the bigger Diaz. Ultimately exhausting himself and tapping out upon being knocked down and quickly wrapped in a match ending choke-hold midway through the 2nd round.
This time, Conor was more calculated with his attack, kicking at Diaz' lead leg while incorporating swift, accurate, counter hooks; one of which put him on the mat in the first round, then a couple of which subsequently knocked Diaz down in the second round. In the third round, Diaz turned the fight around, with McGregor showing signs of rapid decline as Diaz continued to drive him back and punish him on the fence. In the fourth round, McGregor battled back but continued to tire as he used everything inside of him to keep Diaz from forcing him on his back. Diaz would finish the fourth round strong, finally tripping McGregor up in the final seconds, but it was too little too late.
Diaz lingered around the ring post-fight, calling out McGregor to grant a trilogy. McGregor declared that he'd like a third fight just as well, but only under the condition that after moving up to fight at 170 for two fights, Diaz meet him at 155 pounds for their next affair.
Source: espn.com
