Six Crucial Factors in Conor McGregor’s Win over Nate Diaz at UFC 202
Close gallery popup button
1 OF 7
1 of 7
Redemption
Conor McGregor (20-3) got the redemption he was looking for when he won a majority decision over Nate Diaz (19-11) in a blood-soaked battle at UFC 202 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. ‘The Notorious’ was given all he could handle from Diaz, but the following factors were crucial in the Irishman’s victory.
2 of 7
Leg Kicks
Just like Rafael Dos Anjos did in his win over Diaz, Conor McGregor used leg kicks to put Diaz off his game in the early rounds. Diaz tends to plant his lead foot when fighting and McGregor took full advantage to pepper him with leg kicks. By the end of the first few minutes huge welts were visible on Diaz’s upper right leg. In fact, McGregor kicked Diaz so much that he had to use crutches after the fight. “My shin, I kicked his leg about 40 times and it’s f**king hurting me. That’s it, my shin, everything else is good,” said McGregor, who picked up a cool $3 million for his night’s work.
Not only did the leg kicks hurt Diaz, but they also made him think. This was not the McGregor of the first fight; the gunslinging puncher who stood toe-to-toe until one man went down. This was the hit and move version of McGregor. The Irishman was able to use the leg kicks and Diaz’s reticence to get kicked to his advantage by mixing in some sharp punching combinations. McGregor picked his shots beautifully and knocked Diaz down three times in the first two rounds. Those knockdowns were crucial when it came to the judging of the fight.
4 of 7
Takedown Defense
One of the most impressive adjustments McGregor made was making sure that his takedown defense was on point for this fight. He worked hard with BJJ black belt Dillon Danis and his coach John Kavanagh to make sure he would be ready to defend Diaz’s attempts to take him to the ground. Bar one takedown late in the fight, he managed to do just that. Keeping the fight off the ground was taking Diaz’s stronger BJJ game out of the equation.
One of the judges scored the third round 10-8 in favor of Diaz. At the end of the second, Diaz unleashed a flurry of shots that stung the Irishman against the cage. He took that momentum into the third stanza and absolutely battered McGregor from pillar to post. It looked like the Irishman might fold at and second. But he didn’t. “How do you prove anything to yourself unless you face adversity?” was what McGregor told Muscle & Fitness in our UFC 202 Q&A. Well, in the third round, McGregor faced some serious adversity, and he prevailed. At the end of the round he might have looked like was was almost out of it (check out that moment above) but he pushed through.
6 of 7
Cutting up Diaz’s Face
In the fourth round, McGregor got a second wind and went back to what was working for him, leg kicks combined with smart combination punching and then moving out of the danger zone. Before the fight, when all the trash talk and braggadocio was in full flow, McGregor promised to break up the soft skin on Diaz’s face. The Stockton, CA, fighter would pick up a bad cut over his right eye during the fight that poured blood in the fourth round, causing him vision problems and forcing him to constantly wipe blood from his face. The revival of McGregor in the fourth saw him take the round on all three judges’ scorecard. Doing so was the winning of the fight for McGregor.
7 of 7
Withstanding Diaz’s Final Push
Diaz would not go gently into that good night. On the contrary, he poured more pressure on McGregor in the final round, and just before the end of the fight, he got the takedown he was looking for. McGregor would not buckle on this night and was able to fight to the final bell. In the post-fight press conference, he spoke about how the loss in the first fight, and the reaction to it, galvanized him for the rematch.”After that fight when I lost, I’m looking at all of these people and they’re all celebrating my demise and saying I’m done. It certainly lit a fire under my belly. Every single person doubted me. Every single fighter doubted me. Doubt me now.”
Conor McGregor (20-3) got the redemption he was looking for when he won a majority decision over Nate Diaz (19-11) in a blood-soaked battle at UFC 202 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. ‘The Notorious’ was given all he could handle from Diaz, but the following factors were crucial in the Irishman’s victory.
Leg Kicks
Just like Rafael Dos Anjos did in his win over Diaz, Conor McGregor used leg kicks to put Diaz off his game in the early rounds. Diaz tends to plant his lead foot when fighting and McGregor took full advantage to pepper him with leg kicks. By the end of the first few minutes huge welts were visible on Diaz’s upper right leg. In fact, McGregor kicked Diaz so much that he had to use crutches after the fight.
“My shin, I kicked his leg about 40 times and it’s f**king hurting me. That’s it, my shin, everything else is good,” said McGregor, who picked up a cool $3 million for his night’s work.
Not only did the leg kicks hurt Diaz, but they also made him think. This was not the McGregor of the first fight; the gunslinging puncher who stood toe-to-toe until one man went down. This was the hit and move version of McGregor. The Irishman was able to use the leg kicks and Diaz’s reticence to get kicked to his advantage by mixing in some sharp punching combinations. McGregor picked his shots beautifully and knocked Diaz down three times in the first two rounds. Those knockdowns were crucial when it came to the judging of the fight.
Takedown Defense
One of the most impressive adjustments McGregor made was making sure that his takedown defense was on point for this fight. He worked hard with BJJ black belt Dillon Danis and his coach John Kavanagh to make sure he would be ready to defend Diaz’s attempts to take him to the ground. Bar one takedown late in the fight, he managed to do just that. Keeping the fight off the ground was taking Diaz’s stronger BJJ game out of the equation.
One of the judges scored the third round 10-8 in favor of Diaz. At the end of the second, Diaz unleashed a flurry of shots that stung the Irishman against the cage. He took that momentum into the third stanza and absolutely battered McGregor from pillar to post. It looked like the Irishman might fold at and second. But he didn’t.
“How do you prove anything to yourself unless you face adversity?” was what McGregor told Muscle & Fitness in our UFC 202 Q&A. Well, in the third round, McGregor faced some serious adversity, and he prevailed. At the end of the round he might have looked like was was almost out of it (check out that moment above) but he pushed through.
Cutting up Diaz's Face
In the fourth round, McGregor got a second wind and went back to what was working for him, leg kicks combined with smart combination punching and then moving out of the danger zone. Before the fight, when all the trash talk and braggadocio was in full flow, McGregor promised to break up the soft skin on Diaz’s face. The Stockton, CA, fighter would pick up a bad cut over his right eye during the fight that poured blood in the fourth round, causing him vision problems and forcing him to constantly wipe blood from his face. The revival of McGregor in the fourth saw him take the round on all three judges’ scorecard. Doing so was the winning of the fight for McGregor.
Withstanding Diaz's Final Push
Diaz would not go gently into that good night. On the contrary, he poured more pressure on McGregor in the final round, and just before the end of the fight, he got the takedown he was looking for. McGregor would not buckle on this night and was able to fight to the final bell. In the post-fight press conference, he spoke about how the loss in the first fight, and the reaction to it, galvanized him for the rematch.
“After that fight when I lost, I’m looking at all of these people and they’re all celebrating my demise and saying I’m done. It certainly lit a fire under my belly. Every single person doubted me. Every single fighter doubted me. Doubt me now.”
