UFC 196 video recap: Diaz humbles McGregor via second round submission

Nate Diaz hands Conor McGregor his first UFC defeat by scoring a second-round submission finish via rear-naked choke.

Rear-naked chokes have been the story of the night so far. During the UFC 196 main event, Nate Diaz was able to pull off a shocker after he accepted a fight on eleven days’ notice and 15 pounds higher than his natural weight class.

The Stockton, California native did show a disadvantage early on the feet but was able to showcase his superiority on the ground, once he had the chance to do so.

What was the high point of the fight?

Being battered through the first seven minutes of action, the high point of the fight was when Diaz began landing his shots on McGregor’s chin during the latter half of the second.

Seeing “The Notorious” hurt by one of the punches, Diaz was relentless in his attacks. Being badly hurt at this point, McGregor shot for a takedown, which proved to be a costly mistake. Once the fight went to the mat, it was all Nate Diaz, dominating from up top, and eventually sinking in the rear-naked choke.

Where do these two go from here?

After going through the biggest and most lucrative fight of his career, Diaz has proven that he can still hang with the elite fighters in the game. He may, however, come back down to 155-pounds, where he seems more comfortable.

McGregor, on the other hand, should stay away from the welterweight division. Diaz was not even as versatile of a striker as he was, but McGregor’s size disadvantage proved to be a huge deterrent. A fight against Robbie Lawler? Forget about it.

At the very least, he still holds the featherweight world title.

Watch it now, later or never?

Like the co-main event bout between Tate and Holm, this is also a must-watch. After all the talk and back-and-forth ribbing over the last week, it all comes down to a sensational finish by Diaz, who did not even have a full training camp coming into the fight.

Boom! Boom! @NateDiaz209 lands! #UFC196 https://t.co/k3zMVlPIdi

— #UFC196 (@ufc) March 6, 2016

Nate Diaz hands Conor McGregor his first UFC defeat by scoring a second-round submission finish via rear-naked choke.

Rear-naked chokes have been the story of the night so far. During the UFC 196 main event, Nate Diaz was able to pull off a shocker after he accepted a fight on eleven days’ notice and 15 pounds higher than his natural weight class.

The Stockton, California native did show a disadvantage early on the feet but was able to showcase his superiority on the ground, once he had the chance to do so.

What was the high point of the fight?

Being battered through the first seven minutes of action, the high point of the fight was when Diaz began landing his shots on McGregor’s chin during the latter half of the second.

Seeing “The Notorious” hurt by one of the punches, Diaz was relentless in his attacks. Being badly hurt at this point, McGregor shot for a takedown, which proved to be a costly mistake. Once the fight went to the mat, it was all Nate Diaz, dominating from up top, and eventually sinking in the rear-naked choke.

Where do these two go from here?

After going through the biggest and most lucrative fight of his career, Diaz has proven that he can still hang with the elite fighters in the game. He may, however, come back down to 155-pounds, where he seems more comfortable.

McGregor, on the other hand, should stay away from the welterweight division. Diaz was not even as versatile of a striker as he was, but McGregor’s size disadvantage proved to be a huge deterrent. A fight against Robbie Lawler? Forget about it.

At the very least, he still holds the featherweight world title.

Watch it now, later or never?

Like the co-main event bout between Tate and Holm, this is also a must-watch. After all the talk and back-and-forth ribbing over the last week, it all comes down to a sensational finish by Diaz, who did not even have a full training camp coming into the fight.