In case you missed it, we have a full breakdown of the biggest fights from UFC 196, including Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz & Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm… So UFC 196 is in the rear view, and the mixed martial arts world collectively gets back to reality following one of the biggest events in modern
In case you missed it, we have a full breakdown of the biggest fights from UFC 196, including Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz & Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm…
So UFC 196 is in the rear view, and the mixed martial arts world collectively gets back to reality following one of the biggest events in modern history. It’s quite easy to forget that the original lightweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Conor McGregor had been taken away, as the pay-per-view card rocked the foundations even without the full line up. Buoyed by a number of shocking upsets and highlight reel moments, UFC 196 delivered in a big way.
So let’s start with the co-main event of the evening, Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate for the UFC women’s bantamweight title. Holm was hoping to embark on a long run as champion following her crushing upset over Ronda Rousey last year, and her first defense against Miesha Tate would prove to be pivotal in making this dream a reality. Unfortunately for ‘The Preacher’s Daughter,’ Tate was a different beast than we’ve ever seen, and came to win.
Up until round five, this was a very tentative fight, with neither woman appearing willing to play their entire hand. But Tate was clearly planning Holm’s demise, and it was an ugly one at that. She’d been kept at arm’s length for four rounds, but ‘Cupcake’ never gave up trying. Perhaps she planned for the fifth round finish, or maybe it was her persistence that led to the eventual opening, either way it was one of the craziest final moments in a fight to watch live.
As Miesha Tate took the back of Holly Holm, there was a sense that this was the moment the belt would change hands yet again. From the standing position ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ attempted to flip Tate over, but it didn’t work, in fact it exposed Holm’s position even further, and Tate clamped on with the rear naked choke. Holm appeared to remain calm, but ‘Cupcake’ already had the choke secured under the chin, with her left hand firmly grasping the back of the now former champion’s head, and her right hand locked in place on her own bicep.
It looked as though Holm was ready to tap, and almost did, but it turned out to be the movements of an unconscious and now fallen champion. Tate and her team were elated, but we witnessed one of the most humble and down to earth champions fall from grace in the UFC 196 co-main event. It was a sobering moment to say the least, but such is life in the fight game. The key to Tate getting past Holm was an excellent mix of head movement and unpredictable footwork, and dogged determination.
Now, on to one of the most brash and outspoken characters in MMA history.
skip over the page for the detailed breakdown of conor mcgregor vs nate diaz
Nate Diaz surprised many people on Saturday at UFC 196 when he submitted the Irish juggernaut Conor McGregor in the second round with a rear-naked choke. He was an underdog going into the fight, and in our staff picks, we all picked McGregor to win.&nb…
Nate Diaz surprised many people on Saturday at UFC 196 when he submitted the Irish juggernaut Conor McGregor in the second round with a rear-naked choke. He was an underdog going into the fight, and in our staff picks, we all picked McGregor to win.
Our rationale was that Diaz had been fighting mainly on the feet and that he wouldn’t be able to withstand McGregor’s striking. We were so wrong. McGregor’s striking coach, Owen Roddy, told James Edwards of the Independent back in February that McGregor “hits like a middleweight.” I don’t know about the rest of the predictions crew, but I interpreted that to also mean he was used to getting hit like a middleweight too.
He was not. Nor welterweight. Nor could he compensate for Diaz’s height and reach advantage, both new considerations in one of his fights. Although McGregor is the 145-pound champion and was originally planning to fight at 155, the bout with Diaz was fought at 170. There were many factors at play in this fight with which McGregor had not had to contend before.
One of the biggest factors was Diaz’s blistering Brazilian jiu-jitsu. McGregor has faced BJJ experts before, but the Diaz brothers are known for their extensive and traditional BJJ games. For example, in this fight, we saw an inverted guard—a position rarely seen in MMA that’s usually relegated to grappling competitions or Rousimar Palhares.
Diaz proved on Saturday that a solid Brazilian jiu-jitsu background is as vital as ever in MMA. He was winning on the feet, as well, and McGregor seemed rocked by the time he shot for a double leg toward the end of the second round. Even so, it was ultimately Diaz’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu that halted the juggernaut’s star-making velocity.
And what jiu-jitsu it was. Seattle-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Tristan Matheson joined me to break down what happened.
Diaz said he expected the fight to go to the ground, so before the fight, I analyzed his and McGregor’s grappling. The pertinent takeaways from that were:
McGregor shows comfort in top positions, although he rarely attempts submissions and instead prefers to strike.
He’s passive and inactive in others, including closed guard—both in it and on someone else.
Diaz prefers to grapple from his back, and will readily go to the mat to get there.
While not a wrestler, Diaz has an excellent sprawl and uses it to snag guillotines.
The Grappling
Sydnie: Toward the end of Round 1, Diaz caught a body kick and dropped McGregor simply by pivoting to his left. Conor got his hooks into butterfly guard and finagled a sweep.
Tristan: Diaz pretty much rolled himself over just so he could slap McGregor twice.
Sydnie: He did go along with such a blatant lack of concern it seemed like being swept was just as much his choice as McGregor’s. Good choice, as it facilitated that Stockton Slap.
They landed right by the cage, ending up in Diaz’s guard, right where he loves to be. Immediately, Diaz started to climb his guard up, opening his legs to do so.
McGregor grabbed Diaz’s left ankle with his right hand, trying to collapse the leg and take away structure and leverage. McGregor stood his feet up and stacked Diaz, who raised his hips off the ground and allowed McGregor to drive his own hips forward. With his hips above Diaz’s laterally, and with Diaz’s back against the cage, his leverage was limited. McGregor easily pushed Diaz’s right leg to the left and passed the guard, but only briefly.
With his hips free, Diaz did a partial granby roll and recovered his guard. McGregor stayed there, striking, as Diaz worked underneath him. Initially, Diaz held onto McGregor’s right wrist as he planted his right foot into McGregor’s left bicep, probably in an attempt to set up a triangle.
When McGregor pushed his leg out of the way, Diaz rolled to an inverted guard with his legs around McGregor’s body and hit him with a hammer fist while upside down. McGregor was on his knees in a wide base, and the round ended there. If it hadn’t, Diaz probably would’ve gone for some type of leg lock.
After being outstruck in the second round, McGregor shot (on Nate Diaz!?) for a double leg.
Tristan: McGregor shot a lazy take down, which Diaz is used to seeing when he batters his opponents. Diaz sprawled perfectly. Since McGregor left his hands around the hip area, Diaz simultaneously, latched onto his overexposed neck like a lion on a wounded gazelle.
Sydnie: McGregor was on his knees here, and he stepped up his left foot and slid his right leg through the space created, which is called changing or switching the base and is similar to a wrestling sit-out. While McGregor was doing this, Diaz happily fell to his back, which is the progression for guillotines on the ground.
Tristan: McGregor, already in survival mode, did just the right thing: He jumped around to the correct side in hopes of an escape. But the jiu-jitsu ace had the perfect counter. He used the top of his foot as a hook to stop McGregor’s right leg and movement from moving to top side control.
Sydnie: So McGregor’s leg was trapped. He stepped up his feet, a common guillotine defense that sees you pitch your weight forward, pinning your opponent’s head to the mat with shoulder pressure and taking away the leverage necessary to finish the choke. But with one leg trapped, his weight not fully forward and his balance not established…
Tristan:Diaz wrenched a high-elbow guillotine, a move made famous by Marcelo Garcia. As he pointed his elbow to the ceiling, it rolled McGregor over. At that point, McGregor’s last chance to get out of the choke was to explode from his back and bridge out, creating a scramble that would land him on top or get him back to his feet—he did that very move against Chad Mendes [at UFC 189], and it secured him the win.
Sydnie: So McGregor continued rolling the direction Diaz sent him, which freed him from the guillotine threat.
Tristan: If Diaz had continued the guillotine, he might have lost position—like how Mendes kept going for it when it wasn’t secure. Diaz saw it was going to be tough to keep, so he let go and was already thinking of maintaining position, whereas McGregor was thinking he was out.
Sydnie: Let me just quote myself from my pre-fight analysis here:
Against a wrestler such as Mendes, McGregor could capitalize on any space offered during guard passing and transitions and escape, but Diaz will be grappling with jiu-jitsu. And he is a high-level practitioner; his pressure and control of space will make escape attempts far more difficult.
Tristan: McGregor reached up to get his underhook, but Diaz sensed the urgency, and being the jiu-jitsu ace he is, he caught an over-under grip, around the arm and under the tricep to establish control. It stopped McGregor’s momentum and landed the much calmer Diaz in side control—a position no one wants to be in on the bottom, especially an already battered, gassed fighter.
Sydnie: Diaz also shoved his right knee into McGregor’s back, keeping McGregor on his left side and preventing several of the common defenses there. His left arm was under Diaz’s control. McGregor couldn’t roll to the right, which is where the defenses were available—he could attempt to shrimp out and recover full guard or try to get a knee in between his torso and Diaz’s, for example.
So with the hips partially immobilized by the inability to turn to the right, Diaz was in minimal danger when he stepped over to take technical/S mount, with his right foot flat on the mat.
And here we saw a great example of Diaz’s genius. The best type of full mount to have is when your opponent is flat on their back, and Diaz accomplished this by angling his shin across McGregor’s torso, planting his right knee near McGregor’s right shoulder—which was raised because McGregor was kept on his side in side control.
Diaz then forced McGregor flat on his back by putting his weight into that right knee. McGregor was totally controlled in every second.
Tristan: McGregor, much like on his feet, left his chin exposed. Nate unleashed a barrage of clean punches. McGregor’s only move to escape was to bridge his hips and turn, but once again, Diaz could feel it. Basically, McGregor did everything right in terms of escaping, but Diaz was two steps ahead, so it didn’t matter.
Sydnie: Diaz was high enough on McGregor that the Irishman could bridge and roll onto his stomach, trapping his own right arm underneath him as he did. While that escape attempt may have been the right idea, he didn’t do enough to protect his neck. Diaz rode the bridge and secured what was essentially the ultimate position: rear mount on someone who’s on their stomach.
Tristan: Diaz slipped both hooks in and did a beautiful job at creeping his arm into position for the choke. He then pushed his hips downward, causing all his weight to crush McGregor, much like jumping on the middle of an aluminum can. It caused McGregor to arch and look up, slightly exposing his neck.
Sydnie: Diaz shot his right arm under McGregor’s chin from the right, where McGregor’s right arm is trapped underneath him. McGregor attempted to tuck his chin and buy himself some time, but Diaz answered with a quick left that turned his head.
Tristan: Nate slid the devastating mata leo choke in. It was already deep. The victory was secure. The Irishman was forced to tap or go to sleep, and jiu-jitsu prevailed once again.
Sydnie: From the moment Diaz closed up the choke, it took less than three seconds for McGregor to tap. That is one tight RNC.
Tristan: I don’t think McGregor was inefficient with his energy. I think Diaz was just more efficient in his technique. When flash doesn’t work, stone-cold basics prevail every time.
Sydnie: Yeah, I didn’t understand what McGregor meant based on what I saw. It looked like he couldn’t catch Diaz, the height difference made him work harder and he wasn’t used to being hit that hard. Well, I suppose that is in fact highly inefficient; maybe McGregor just meant that his plan of attack, if there was one, was poorly conceived.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is often referred to as mat chess and a game of inches. McGregor’s grappling isn’t awful, by any stretch, and he’s demonstrated some very fluid and insightful movements on the ground, but Diaz’s comprehensive understanding trumps McGregor’s knowledge and abilities on the ground.
While the outcome might have been unexpected to many, that Diaz’s grappling was miles ahead of McGregor’s was best summed up by Diaz himself (NSFW audio):
Nate Diaz surprised many people on Saturday at UFC 196 when he submitted the Irish juggernaut Conor McGregor in the second round with a rear-naked choke. He was an underdog going into the fight, and in our staff picks, we all picked McGregor to win.&nb…
Nate Diaz surprised many people on Saturday at UFC 196 when he submitted the Irish juggernaut Conor McGregor in the second round with a rear-naked choke. He was an underdog going into the fight, and in our staff picks, we all picked McGregor to win.
Our rationale was that Diaz had been fighting mainly on the feet and that he wouldn’t be able to withstand McGregor’s striking. We were so wrong. McGregor’s striking coach, Owen Roddy, told James Edwards of the Independent back in February that McGregor “hits like a middleweight.” I don’t know about the rest of the predictions crew, but I interpreted that to also mean he was used to getting hit like a middleweight too.
He was not. Nor welterweight. Nor could he compensate for Diaz’s height and reach advantage, both new considerations in one of his fights. Although McGregor is the 145-pound champion and was originally planning to fight at 155, the bout with Diaz was fought at 170. There were many factors at play in this fight with which McGregor had not had to contend before.
One of the biggest factors was Diaz’s blistering Brazilian jiu-jitsu. McGregor has faced BJJ experts before, but the Diaz brothers are known for their extensive and traditional BJJ games. For example, in this fight, we saw an inverted guard—a position rarely seen in MMA that’s usually relegated to grappling competitions or Rousimar Palhares.
Diaz proved on Saturday that a solid Brazilian jiu-jitsu background is as vital as ever in MMA. He was winning on the feet, as well, and McGregor seemed rocked by the time he shot for a double leg toward the end of the second round. Even so, it was ultimately Diaz’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu that halted the juggernaut’s star-making velocity.
And what jiu-jitsu it was. Seattle-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Tristan Matheson joined me to break down what happened.
Diaz said he expected the fight to go to the ground, so before the fight, I analyzed his and McGregor’s grappling. The pertinent takeaways from that were:
McGregor shows comfort in top positions, although he rarely attempts submissions and instead prefers to strike.
He’s passive and inactive in others, including closed guard—both in it and on someone else.
Diaz prefers to grapple from his back, and will readily go to the mat to get there.
While not a wrestler, Diaz has an excellent sprawl and uses it to snag guillotines.
The Grappling
Sydnie: Toward the end of Round 1, Diaz caught a body kick and dropped McGregor simply by pivoting to his left. Conor got his hooks into butterfly guard and finagled a sweep.
Tristan: Diaz pretty much rolled himself over just so he could slap McGregor twice.
Sydnie: He did go along with such a blatant lack of concern it seemed like being swept was just as much his choice as McGregor’s. Good choice, as it facilitated that Stockton Slap.
They landed right by the cage, ending up in Diaz’s guard, right where he loves to be. Immediately, Diaz started to climb his guard up, opening his legs to do so.
McGregor grabbed Diaz’s left ankle with his right hand, trying to collapse the leg and take away structure and leverage. McGregor stood his feet up and stacked Diaz, who raised his hips off the ground and allowed McGregor to drive his own hips forward. With his hips above Diaz’s laterally, and with Diaz’s back against the cage, his leverage was limited. McGregor easily pushed Diaz’s right leg to the left and passed the guard, but only briefly.
With his hips free, Diaz did a partial granby roll and recovered his guard. McGregor stayed there, striking, as Diaz worked underneath him. Initially, Diaz held onto McGregor’s right wrist as he planted his right foot into McGregor’s left bicep, probably in an attempt to set up a triangle.
When McGregor pushed his leg out of the way, Diaz rolled to an inverted guard with his legs around McGregor’s body and hit him with a hammer fist while upside down. McGregor was on his knees in a wide base, and the round ended there. If it hadn’t, Diaz probably would’ve gone for some type of leg lock.
After being outstruck in the second round, McGregor shot (on Nate Diaz!?) for a double leg.
Tristan: McGregor shot a lazy take down, which Diaz is used to seeing when he batters his opponents. Diaz sprawled perfectly. Since McGregor left his hands around the hip area, Diaz simultaneously, latched onto his overexposed neck like a lion on a wounded gazelle.
Sydnie: McGregor was on his knees here, and he stepped up his left foot and slid his right leg through the space created, which is called changing or switching the base and is similar to a wrestling sit-out. While McGregor was doing this, Diaz happily fell to his back, which is the progression for guillotines on the ground.
Tristan: McGregor, already in survival mode, did just the right thing: He jumped around to the correct side in hopes of an escape. But the jiu-jitsu ace had the perfect counter. He used the top of his foot as a hook to stop McGregor’s right leg and movement from moving to top side control.
Sydnie: So McGregor’s leg was trapped. He stepped up his feet, a common guillotine defense that sees you pitch your weight forward, pinning your opponent’s head to the mat with shoulder pressure and taking away the leverage necessary to finish the choke. But with one leg trapped, his weight not fully forward and his balance not established…
Tristan:Diaz wrenched a high-elbow guillotine, a move made famous by Marcelo Garcia. As he pointed his elbow to the ceiling, it rolled McGregor over. At that point, McGregor’s last chance to get out of the choke was to explode from his back and bridge out, creating a scramble that would land him on top or get him back to his feet—he did that very move against Chad Mendes [at UFC 189], and it secured him the win.
Sydnie: So McGregor continued rolling the direction Diaz sent him, which freed him from the guillotine threat.
Tristan: If Diaz had continued the guillotine, he might have lost position—like how Mendes kept going for it when it wasn’t secure. Diaz saw it was going to be tough to keep, so he let go and was already thinking of maintaining position, whereas McGregor was thinking he was out.
Sydnie: Let me just quote myself from my pre-fight analysis here:
Against a wrestler such as Mendes, McGregor could capitalize on any space offered during guard passing and transitions and escape, but Diaz will be grappling with jiu-jitsu. And he is a high-level practitioner; his pressure and control of space will make escape attempts far more difficult.
Tristan: McGregor reached up to get his underhook, but Diaz sensed the urgency, and being the jiu-jitsu ace he is, he caught an over-under grip, around the arm and under the tricep to establish control. It stopped McGregor’s momentum and landed the much calmer Diaz in side control—a position no one wants to be in on the bottom, especially an already battered, gassed fighter.
Sydnie: Diaz also shoved his right knee into McGregor’s back, keeping McGregor on his left side and preventing several of the common defenses there. His left arm was under Diaz’s control. McGregor couldn’t roll to the right, which is where the defenses were available—he could attempt to shrimp out and recover full guard or try to get a knee in between his torso and Diaz’s, for example.
So with the hips partially immobilized by the inability to turn to the right, Diaz was in minimal danger when he stepped over to take technical/S mount, with his right foot flat on the mat.
And here we saw a great example of Diaz’s genius. The best type of full mount to have is when your opponent is flat on their back, and Diaz accomplished this by angling his shin across McGregor’s torso, planting his right knee near McGregor’s right shoulder—which was raised because McGregor was kept on his side in side control.
Diaz then forced McGregor flat on his back by putting his weight into that right knee. McGregor was totally controlled in every second.
Tristan: McGregor, much like on his feet, left his chin exposed. Nate unleashed a barrage of clean punches. McGregor’s only move to escape was to bridge his hips and turn, but once again, Diaz could feel it. Basically, McGregor did everything right in terms of escaping, but Diaz was two steps ahead, so it didn’t matter.
Sydnie: Diaz was high enough on McGregor that the Irishman could bridge and roll onto his stomach, trapping his own right arm underneath him as he did. While that escape attempt may have been the right idea, he didn’t do enough to protect his neck. Diaz rode the bridge and secured what was essentially the ultimate position: rear mount on someone who’s on their stomach.
Tristan: Diaz slipped both hooks in and did a beautiful job at creeping his arm into position for the choke. He then pushed his hips downward, causing all his weight to crush McGregor, much like jumping on the middle of an aluminum can. It caused McGregor to arch and look up, slightly exposing his neck.
Sydnie: Diaz shot his right arm under McGregor’s chin from the right, where McGregor’s right arm is trapped underneath him. McGregor attempted to tuck his chin and buy himself some time, but Diaz answered with a quick left that turned his head.
Tristan: Nate slid the devastating mata leo choke in. It was already deep. The victory was secure. The Irishman was forced to tap or go to sleep, and jiu-jitsu prevailed once again.
Sydnie: From the moment Diaz closed up the choke, it took less than three seconds for McGregor to tap. That is one tight RNC.
Tristan: I don’t think McGregor was inefficient with his energy. I think Diaz was just more efficient in his technique. When flash doesn’t work, stone-cold basics prevail every time.
Sydnie: Yeah, I didn’t understand what McGregor meant based on what I saw. It looked like he couldn’t catch Diaz, the height difference made him work harder and he wasn’t used to being hit that hard. Well, I suppose that is in fact highly inefficient; maybe McGregor just meant that his plan of attack, if there was one, was poorly conceived.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is often referred to as mat chess and a game of inches. McGregor’s grappling isn’t awful, by any stretch, and he’s demonstrated some very fluid and insightful movements on the ground, but Diaz’s comprehensive understanding trumps McGregor’s knowledge and abilities on the ground.
While the outcome might have been unexpected to many, that Diaz’s grappling was miles ahead of McGregor’s was best summed up by Diaz himself (NSFW audio):
Highlights of Tate’s upset win, which took place at UFC 196 on March 5, can be viewed here.
It will be interesting to see what Vegas Dave bets — if he bets at all — when Tate moves on to fight Rousey later this year (details), considering “Rowdy” is already up 2-0 on the current champ.
Hat trick?
I haven’t seen a wager this risky since Lincoln Hawk bet $7,000 on himself to capture the World Arm Wrestling Championship in Las Vegas.
Highlights of Tate’s upset win, which took place at UFC 196 on March 5, can be viewed here.
It will be interesting to see what Vegas Dave bets — if he bets at all — when Tate moves on to fight Rousey later this year (details), considering “Rowdy” is already up 2-0 on the current champ.
Bloody Elbow’s Connor Ruebusch breaks down how Nate Diaz upset featherweight champion Conor McGregor at UFC 196. blahNate Diaz rose, flexing his arms in a caricature of masculine bravado, his characteristic scowl concealed by a mask of blood…
Bloody Elbow’s Connor Ruebusch breaks down how Nate Diaz upset featherweight champion Conor McGregor at UFC 196.
blahNate Diaz rose, flexing his arms in a caricature of masculine bravado, his characteristic scowl concealed by a mask of blood. The featherweight champion of the world lay at his feet. Conor McGregor, the unstoppable force, vanquished.
It was not an easy win for Diaz. He had lost the first round, and absorbed considerable punishment before seizing the momentum midway through the second. The effort had cost him a cut under the right eyebrow that leaked into his eye. The right side of his face and neck displayed a series of nicks and abrasions courtesy of McGregor’s heat-seeking left hand. It was not at all unlike his big brother Nick’s hard-fought victory over Takanori Gomi almost exactly nine years ago.
But now is not the time for brotherly comparisons. Nate has always been compared to his brother, and while the two share certain mannerisms and an undeniable bond, they are very different martial artists. There will always be aspects of each Diaz brother to remind us of the other, but in defeating Conor McGregor Nate displayed each and every one of the skills and talents that set him apart from Nick. It was a performance that may very well define Nate Diaz’s career, and it perfectly defined Nate Diaz himself.
SURVIVAL SKILLS
Andre Ward talks sparring with the Diaz brothers
Conor McGregor’s UFC career has been defined by two things: knockouts, and the aggression that leads to them. Though he was once happy to pick his shots from the outside, McGregor’s counter-punching prowess now serves his pressure, or vice versa. With that in mind, his first round against Diaz was far from unusual. McGregor happily poured on the volume, missing some but landing plenty, employing the same tactic that had brought him up through the ranks of the featherweight division to the title.
And yet from the outset of the fight something was wrong. McGregor looked phenomenal, showing off improved head movement and combination punching, but there were enough little things troubling him right from the start to give a viewer pause. Maybe it was the reach of Diaz, coaxing McGregor to swing and miss more than usual with the left hand. Maybe it was the fact that a fully hydrated career lightweight, not to mention one known for his durability, was able to withstand punches that would have rendered a wrung-out featherweight senseless. Or maybe Conor McGregor was too far along the puncher’s path to turn back.
But there was also Nate Diaz, and his skill. Nate is not Nick, and never has been. Where Nick Diaz is known for his take-one-to-give one attitude, relentless forward pressure, and combination punching, Nate Diaz is a boxer in the classical sense. The cornerstone of his style is the jab, off of which every other attack is built. His feet are slow like those of a big man, not like the twinkle-toes of McGregor, but he moves them with careful precision.
And then there is the subtle art of taking a punch.
2. Diaz tries to hand-fight but McGregor slides a jab under his left arm.
3. Diaz pulls back as the jab extends, but leaves himself open to an incoming overhand left.
4. As Conor’s left connects, Diaz moves with the punch, pulling back and absorbing the shock with his legs, all while looking to counter with a wide right hook.
5. His hook misses the mark, but Diaz keeps his eyes on McGregor and looks to adjust.
6. As McGregor tries to follow up with a left, Diaz is already moving, shelling up and smothering him to avoid further punishment.
7. A quick pivot brings Diaz around to the left, away from McGregor’s left hand.
Nick Diaz’s ability to survive tough fights has always been, in part, a result of his durability and heart. Nick has a great chin, a Marciano-esque resistance to pain, and enough willpower for five average fighters. Nate certainly doesn’t lack the will, but I’ve long suspected that his own resistance to knockouts has as much to do with skill as it does will.
Nate’s defense and footwork are badly underrated, perhaps because of the awkward appearance of his movements. When it comes to boxing tactics, however, he very rarely puts a foot wrong. When McGregor connects with his left hand, Diaz is able to take almost all of the power away by moving with the punch. After McGregor’s arm has fully extended, what little sting remains is dissipated by Nate’s stance–note his rear leg, turned out and bent to serve as a shock-absorbing spring. Nate even anticipates the need for this absorption by widening his stance between frames 1 and 2, moving his left leg back to give his head more cushion room. And after rolling with the first blow, Diaz is far from stationary. Years of boxing training take over as he covers up, smothers his aggressor by closing the distance, and pivots to take away his angle of attack.
Often movements like this were enough for Diaz to avoid punishment entirely. Anyone watching surely noticed just how frequently McGregor missed–much more than usual. When McGregor proved too quick or too slick to be avoided, however, Diaz’s ability to move with the punches helped him to retain his wits. Ultimately, McGregor’s full-power punches hurt him far more than they hurt Nate, who patiently waited for the opportunity to strike.
FINDING THE OPENING
There is a moment in the footage of this fight that gives me chills no matter how many times I watch it. No doubt my analytical mind is reading patterns where there are none, and drawing meaning from nothing. But I watch anyway, again and again.
After the first round, the camera finds Nate Diaz in his corner. Where most fighters spend this time intently listening to their trainers, or sneaking furtive looks at the opponent far on the other side of the cage, Diaz simply stares. Not at his trainer, not at his cutman, and not at McGregor.
Nate Diaz stares directly into the camera; at us. The message in his eyes seems all too clear in retrospect: “I know what I’m doing. Wait and see.”
Swinging away, McGregor had been sowing the seeds of his own comeuppance since the start of the first round. As he said himself in the post-fight interview, he was “inefficient with [his] shots,” too eager to hit an opponent who was too tough, too good. At some point in the second round, McGregor realized his mistake. He began to grow tired, while Diaz’s pace remained unchanged. Even his clean punches were no longer having an effect. Rather, they were having an effect, but not the desired one; Diaz seemed emboldened by the punishment rather than dissuaded.
And as the doubts were munching away at McGregor’s mind, Nate Diaz was watching, and waiting, and planning.
1. Backed into the fence, Diaz looks to create a little space.
2. A teep connects. McGregor refuses to step back, but he must plant his feet to resist the impact.
3. Diaz capitalizes by immediately following up with a jab. McGregor slips to his left. Diaz notices.
4. McGregor has an uppercut in mind, but Diaz is already pulling away, tucking his chin behind his shoulder and pivoting to his right.
5. The two reset.
On first look, nothing much happens in this sequence. Diaz connects with a decent kick, but misses with his follow-up attack, and McGregor manages to keep him backed against the fence despite everything. For a boxer such as Nate, however, there is no such thing as a failure. There is only opportunity.
Diaz notices that, forced to make a quick reaction, McGregor slips to his left and looks for the uppercut. It is a counter that he had been preparing for Rafael Dos Anjos, and pre-fight training footage showed that he expected it to work against Diaz as well. Nate takes that information and files it away. It will come in handy in just a few moments.
1. Seconds after the last exchange, Diaz is backed into the fence again.
2. As McGregor comes forward, Nate opts to lead with a throwaway jab . . .
3. . . . followed by a half-beat left hand. McGregor slips it, this time to the other side.
4. McGregor counters with a right uppercut inside.
5. A left hand follows, but Diaz covers up.
6. Diaz blocks a right hook.
7. And McGregor can’t find an opening for the left uppercut.
8. The featherweight champ tries for a left hook next, but he has to push to get it through Diaz’s guard.
9. True to form, Diaz isn’t a stationary target. He pivots away from McGregor’s left hand and forces him to adjust.
10. McGregor is happy to keep attacking, but his jab falls short . . .
11. . . . and Diaz blocks his overhand left.
12. Nate even cuffs him with a slapping right hook on the way out.
At the start of this sequence, Diaz is looking to capitalize on the opening revealed by his previous jab. The jab he leads with now his a mere flicker, serving only to hide the left hand, which Nate throws according to the expected location of McGregor’s head. McGregor has had time to think, however, and changes tack from the last exchange, slipping to the right instead of to the left.
Again, there is no such thing as failure. Diaz misses, but he learns.
In this case, there is something vulnerable about the way that McGregor jumps on the chance to counter. There is a certain urgency to his combination punching. He throws everything into every blow, as if this might be his last chance to get the job done.
It is a risky gambit, and it doesn’t work. Those forced punches tell Nate everything he needs to know about his opponent’s state. The power isn’t there, and yet the punches come desperately, recklessly. Diaz senses the weakness, and knows that now is his time to strike. McGregor was poised enough to react smartly a few seconds ago; how will he react now after wasting the last of his power on a determined opponent?
1. Stumbling back, McGregor has the posture of a beaten man.
2. Diaz comes forward.
3. The jab again. This one is quick like the last one, but fully extended like the first. Diaz’s fist touches McGregor’s jaw as he slips to the left.
4. Diaz’s left hand arcs down to find McGregor’s chin just where he expected to find it.
5. McGregor can’t even get his legs under him before Nate Diaz starts taunting. The end is near.
Mind under pressure, McGregor reacts the way Diaz wants him to. There is no choice in it for Conor. Despite his exhaustion the slip is automatic, as is the uppercut, signs of a well-schooled fighter. But McGregor is battling fatigue as well as Diaz, and the Stockton scrapper has hard-fought experience that no amount of innovative training can replicate. As McGregor springs into his uppercut, he ends up driving his chin straight into Diaz’s fist, magnifying the impact and shaking the foundations of his weary body.
This is where the momentum shifts, and the fight changes. As Diaz comes on, McGregor sneaks in a few more counters, but the power is gone, as is Diaz’s apprehension. By the time Nate sinks in his choke, McGregor is more than ready to give up.
I’M NOT SURPRISED, MOTHERFUCKERS
Nate Diaz is a very different fighter from his brother. There is a depth to his boxing that defies expectations. As McGregor himself said before the bout, Diaz looks like his “skill doesn’t match the will.” He looks “predictable,” and even “sloppy.” Conor McGregor is not the first to fall prey to the awkward appearance of Diaz’s style, nor will he be the last. He may very well, however, be the greatest.
Whatever divides them as technicians, Nate and Nick share the same mentality. The more I think about it, the more it seems that the Diaz mindset may in fact be the perfect mindset for a fighter. When a Diaz brother loses, it’s bullshit, plain and simple. They don’t agree with the judges’ scorecards, or they were injured heading into the fight, or the opponent had a spy embedded in their training camp–the specific excuse doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Diaz brothers refuse to accept defeat at face value.
When victory is in the cards, Nick and Nate are never surprised. Why would they be? They expected to win from the start, and they never really lose anyway. The right result happened, that’s all.
For men like Conor McGregor, gifted with unbelievable athletic talents, this mentality can be poisonous. It leads to arrogance. You might say that the expectation of winning–even to the point of predicting the rounds in which he would land the knockout punch–was what led McGregor to this defeat.
But Nate Diaz and his brother aren’t incredible athletes. They aren’t gifted with superhuman speed, or crushing power. In Nate’s case he may not even be particularly durable. In a division packed with athletic phenoms every other fight is a struggle for Nate, and that keeps his arrogance in check. He believes in himself above all, but he knows how much effort goes into a win nonetheless.
I hated the Diaz brothers when I first got into MMA. I found them obnoxious, and crass, and unsportsmanlike. The more time I spend with this sport, however, the more my affection for the Diaz brothers grows. Nate Diaz is a special fighter, skilled and tough in equal measure, with the perfect mentality. He doesn’t always win, but you can be damn sure he deserves it when he does.
We counted him out, but Nate Diaz got the win. He’s not surprised.
Jose Aldo’s quest to reignite a war of words with Conor McGregor has taken an explosive new twist, with the Brazilian UFC star suggesting the featherweight champion was “like a kid getting slapped” in his loss to Nate Diaz on Saturday…
Jose Aldo’s quest to reignite a war of words with Conor McGregor has taken an explosive new twist, with the Brazilian UFC star suggesting the featherweight champion was “like a kid getting slapped” in his loss to Nate Diaz on Saturday.
Immediately after McGregor’s loss, Aldo took to Twitter (Warning: Link contains NSFW language) to brand the Notorious a “p—y.” Now, in an interview with Sportv (h/t the Irish Independent), he revealed he was far from impressed by the efforts of his UFC 194 opponent:
I didn’t celebrate when he lost. It means nothing to me; they are two fighters constantly cursing at each other. People cheered; I’m happy for that. I think it was a moment of joy for Brazilians. He was slapped in the face. He looked like a kid getting slapped.
Some fighters have a lot of power, others don’t. He has soap hands. Of course anybody will go down with a punch to the chin. Even if a little kid hits you. He has soap hands. He is always punching, and nobody ever felt his punches. With me, they put a skateboard there for me to slip.
He couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted out. He’s a wuss. He fell down and quit right away.
![holm-tate-fight%20(23)[1]](http://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/holm-tate-fight20231.jpg)
![USATSI_9161309_168380322_lowres-640x458[1]](http://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/USATSI_9161309_168380322_lowres-640x4581.jpg)
Nate Diaz surprised many people on Saturday at UFC 196 when he submitted the Irish juggernaut Conor McGregor in the second round with a rear-naked choke. He was an underdog going into the fight, and in our staff picks, 
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6153735/diaz_takes_a_shot.0.png)
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6154431/diaz_stare.0.png)
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6151905/diaz_sees_the_opening.0.png)
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6151913/mcgregor_sells_out.0.png)
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6151917/diaz_smacks_that_bitch.0.png)
