As much as Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz is a battle between two of the UFC’s biggest trash talkers, it’s also a clash of styles. McGregor—who is jumping two weight classes to face Diaz—has promised to finish his opponent inside the first ro…
As much as Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz is a battle between two of the UFC’s biggest trash talkers, it’s also a clash of styles. McGregor—who is jumping two weight classes to face Diaz—has promised to finish his opponent inside the first round.
It’s certainly possible. Here’s what McGregor must do to accomplish his goal, and what Diaz has to do to upset the Notorious One’s plans at UFC 196 on Saturday:
McGregor’s Keys to Victory
Keep It Standing
According to EA Sports, McGregor is the premier stand-up fighter in the UFC today:
You’d have to agree with the game developers. McGregor has captured 17 of his 19 wins via TKO/KO. While Diaz has a three-inch height and two-inch reach advantage, per FightMetric.com, McGregor is quicker with a more diverse array of strikes.
If he can keep the fight upright, McGregor has a great chance to win by stoppage.
End It Early
Only one man has ever gone the distance with McGregor. That was Max Holloway back in August 2013.
McGregor isn’t used to being dragged deep into fights. He had enough reserves in the tank to beat Chad Mendes at the end of the second round in July 2015. However, had the American survived the frame, who knows what would have happened in the third?
McGregor would be much better off ending this fight early rather than allowing Diaz to stick around.
Diaz’s Keys to Victory
Get the Fight to the Ground
Few have a Brazilian jiu-jitsu game that can rival Diaz’s. His long arms and skill level make him one of the most dangerous submission artists in the UFC.
Getting the fight to the ground could prove to be problematic. Diaz only has a 30 percent takedown accuracy rating. If he struggles to make this a ground fight, it’s going to be a tough night for Diaz.
Take McGregor Deep
While McGregor looks to be carrying the newfound weight well, Diaz is still more used to carrying 170 pounds, as he previously campaigned at welterweight. He too came up in weight class this time, but a 15-pound jump from lightweight is nothing compared to the 25-pound jump McGregor had. Diaz probably weighs close to 170 pounds normally.
Because of that, he may have a deeper gas tank. That’s all the more reason to take McGregor into the championship rounds. Facing a potentially weary and discouraged McGregor late in the fight would be the best-case scenario for Diaz.
UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor is jumping two weight classes to take on Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. McGregor was originally supposed to face UFC Lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, but the Brazil…
UFC Featherweight champion ConorMcGregor is jumping two weight classes to take on Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. McGregor was originally supposed to face UFC Lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, but the Brazilian was forced to pull out with an injured foot.
Diaz is stepping up at short notice, but the two men are making up for lost time with plenty of trash talking leading up to the bout. Take a listen to the pre-fight press conference:
(Warning video contains NSFW language)
If nothing else, the in-cage banter between the two men should be compelling. Here’s a look at the entire schedule, card, predictions and viewing information.
UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET
Matchups
Weight Class
Prediction
Julian Erosa vs. TerutoIshihara
Featherweight
Erosa by submission
Jason Saggp vs. Justin Salas
Lightweight
Saggo by decision
Diego Sanchez vs. Jim Miller
Lightweight
Miller by submission
Fox Sports Prelims ar 8p.m. ET
Darren Elkins vs. Chas Skelly
Featherweight
Skelly by decision
Vitor Miranda vs. Marcelo Guimaraes
Middleweight
Miranda by TKO
Erick Silva vs. NordineTaleb
Welterweight
Taleb by TKO
Brandon Thatch vs. SiyarBahadurzada
Welterweight
Thatch by TKO
PPV Main Card at 10 p.m. ET
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Women’s Bantamweight
Shevchenko by submission
Corey Anderson vs. Tom Lawlor
Light Heavyweight
Anderson by decision
Gian Villante vs. IlirLatifi
Light Heavyweight
Latifi by TKO
(c) Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate
Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Holm by TKO
ConroMcGregor vs, Nate Diaz
Welterweight
McGregor by TKO
Latifi Will Win in Explosive Fashion
Gian Villante is one of the most highly touted light heavyweights in the UFC, but he’s proven to be susceptible to strong and effective strikers.
He’s been stopped twice in his career by strikes, and he was losing to Corey Anderson in April 2015 before landing a huge right hand that turned the tide. Villante‘s opponent on Saturday is IlirLatifi, and he brings a pair of unforgiving fists into the Octagon.
The powerful Swede is known as “The Sledgehammer,” and with good reason. He’s won two fights in a row with both coming by way of TKO/KO. Villante‘s potential weakness makes him a prime candidate to become Latifi‘s third-straight KO victim.
Holm Will Stop Tate
Folks who long for a rematch between UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey needn’t worry about the former losing her title to Miesha Tate.
There’s some concern that Holm might experience a letdown after upsetting Rousey in 2015, but that isn’t likely. Holm told the Washington Post‘s Jeff Wagenheim she doesn’t want to be a “one-hit wonder.”
Holm‘s awareness will allow her to maintain the edge she needs to beat Tate. The champion is a superior athlete and striker. Tate may be better on the ground, but isn’t that what we thought about Rousey?
Expect Holm to get the finish via second-round TKO.
McGregor Will Punish Diaz
The trash talk was awesome, but in the Octagon Diaz will prove to be no match for McGregor. Normally, a two-division leap would spell trouble for a fighter. However, McGregor has been starving himself to make 145 pounds.
If you look at the way he looks at the weigh-in and press conference, he looks to be carrying the 170 pounds well. If he has his normal crisp movements, Diaz doesn’t have much of a chance.
McGregor is faster and stronger. Diaz has a huge edge on the ground, but he lacks the explosiveness to close the distance and take McGregor to the ground. McGregor will have his way.
Darrion Caldwell proved he is on another level Friday night at Bellator 151 in Thackerville, Oklahoma. He owned Joe Warren, defeating him in the first round via rear-naked choke.
If you had to describe Caldwell’s victory in a word, it would be “dominan…
Darrion Caldwell proved he is on another level Friday night at Bellator 151 in Thackerville, Oklahoma. He owned Joe Warren, defeating him in the first round via rear-naked choke.
If you had to describe Caldwell’s victory in a word, it would be “dominant.”
He ran through Warren—a two-time Bellator champion—like he was in his first professional mixed martial arts fight. Caldwell landed a takedown within the first 20 seconds of the fight, turned the former champion belly-down and put him to sleep with the choke to end it.
There may not be a better bantamweight in the world—and that includes UFC champion Dominick Cruz. Caldwell is that nasty.
Brent Brookhouse of MMA Junkie feels the same way:
The end came via choke, but before Warren went to sleep, Caldwell took his opponent to Suplex City.
This was a tour de force performance by a 28-year-old who seems destined to wear Bellator gold sooner rather than later. When the fight was over, Caldwell used some colorful language to call out champion Marcos Galvao.
The champion was set to face former titleholder Eduardo Dantas in a rematch February 26, but Galvao pulled out because of an illness. Dantas will likely get his shot at Galvao before Caldwell will.
No matter who’s holding the title when Caldwell gets his chance, the champion will be in for a heck of a battle. Here’s a look at the results from Friday’s main card:
Baby Joe Outworks Kakai
Thanks to his strong first and second rounds, Joe Taimanglo earned a unanimous-decision victory over Sirwan Kakai. Taimanglo controlled the first round with his ground game.
He looked to be seconds away from securing a submission victory with an anaconda choke, but Kakai escaped. Despite avoiding the submission, Kakai couldn’t find his own offense. Taimanglo controlled the center of the cage in the second frame with a more active body and more effective striking.
Kakai took the third round, but he couldn’t get the stoppage he needed. He was upset after the bout, but he didn’t whine about the decision:
He needed to be more aggressive in the second round. When Kakai looks back on this loss, that’ll be the round he regrets the most.
Bubba Gets Biggest Win of His Career
The battle between Bubba Jenkins (28 years old) and Goiti Yamauchi (23 years old) was a clash between two of the best young featherweights in the world. Jenkins’ wrestling was the difference as he earned a unanimous-decision victory.
Jenkins ventured into Yamauchi’s vaunted guard, and he lived to talk about it. Yamauchi sold out for submission attempts (arm bar and kimura) on several occasions, but he was unable to trap Jenkins.
The ground-and-pound did enough damage for Jenkins to take the final two rounds. He didn’t deserve to win the first round, but oddly, one judge gave it to him. When it was over, Jenkins celebrated with his family and a snazzy hat, via Bellator:
The victory put Jenkins on the cusp of a shot at the Bellator Featherweight Championship. His submission defense and cardio seem to have improved since his submission loss to Georgi Karakhanyan in January 2015.
Jenkins has now won three straight fights.
Smith Got a Raw Deal
Gilbert Smith deserved to win the decision over Fernando Gonzalez. He kept the Bellator veteran on the defensive throughout most of the fight, but Gonzalez got the nod from the judges.
Smith’s strength and cardio appeared to allow him to do the better work. That was especially the case in the final round, when he landed solid shots in stand-up and controlled Gonzalez on the ground.
Unfortunately for Smith, only one of the judges felt he won two of the three rounds.
Smith was a semi-late replacement for Michael “Venom” Page, who bowed out in early February. Despite the defeat, Smith made an excellent account of himself. He should get another main-card shot at a future Bellator event.
Perhaps Gonzalez will finally get his shot at Page, who he accused of ducking him to protect his record, per Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.
Gonzalez’s win and accusation should make the bout more intriguing if it ever happens.
Can you imagine how many sound bites a full-length promotion of Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz would have generated? McGregor might have met his match when it comes to mic work. Diaz can hold his own with anyone when it comes to trash talk and mind games…
Can you imagine how many sound bites a full-length promotion of Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz would have generated? McGregor might have met his match when it comes to mic work. Diaz can hold his own with anyone when it comes to trash talk and mind games.
The question is: Can he beat the Notorious One in the Octagon at UFC 196 on Saturday? McGregor was supposed to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC lightweight title, but the latter injured his foot and had to pull out. That would have been a great fight, but this one is really good too.
Take a look at the pre-fight press conference: (Warning: video contains NSFW language)
McGregor, who holds the UFC Featherweight Championship, is jumping up two weight classes to face Diaz at 170 pounds. That’s almost Henry Armstrong-like, and it’s just another detail that makes this fight so compelling.
Here’s a look at the tale of the tape:
Best Wins
McGregor Puts Aldo to Sleep in 13 Seconds
The staredown lasted almost as long as the fight. McGregor destroyed one of the UFC’s most respected and dominant champions in record time at UFC 194. It was the quickest victory ever in a UFC title fight.
The previous record was held by Ronda Rousey, who defeated Cat Zingano in just 14 seconds. McGregor had already become arguably the most popular fighter in the promotion leading up to the fight with Aldo.
His victory made him a legend. Nothing that happens from here on out can change that.
Diaz Chokes Out Jim Miller
With a resume that includes fights against just about everyone of note in or around his weight class over the last 10 years, it’s hard to pick Diaz’s best wins. He is the season five winner of The Ultimate Fighter, but we’ll look at a win that happened after the show as his best.
The victory over Miller at UFC on Fox 3 stands out as the biggest because it gave Diaz a shot at the 155-pound title against then-champion Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 5.
Diaz submitted Miller—a noted submission artist—in the second round via guillotine choke. Though Henderson completely dominated Diaz in his next fight, the victory over Miller did more for the Stockton bad boy’s career than any other win.
Worst Losses
Duffy Submits McGregor
McGregor is undefeated in the UFC, but he does have two losses in his career. Both of them came by submission.
His most recent defeat came at the hands of current UFC lightweight Joseph Duffy back when both men were competing in the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship promotion in November 2010.
Duffy forced McGregor to tap from an arm-triangle choke with 38 seconds remaining in the first round. Here’s a look at the fight from Rip Under on YouTube:
McGregor has won 15 in a row since the defeat.
The Punk Stops Diaz
Diaz has only been stopped via strikes once in his career. It happened in April 2013 against Josh “The Punk” Thomson at UFC on Fox 7.
Thomson—who isn’t known for his striking power—dropped Diaz with a head kick and finished him off with punches. It was Diaz’s second loss in a row and sent him tumbling down the 155-pound rankings.
Best Weapon
Aside from being a battle between two of the UFC’s most colorful personalities, this is also a clash of two very different styles. Even without the trash talk, this would be an interesting fight.
McGregor’s Stand-Up Skills
There may not be a fighter in the world who is as skilled as McGregor on the feet. His combination of balance, speed, power and accuracy makes him the most dangerous man in the world of MMA when it comes to pure striking.
Diaz’s Jiu-Jitsu
Diaz has excellent boxing skills, but his bread and butter is his ground game. That’s especially the case in this matchup with McGregor. Diaz isn’t athletic enough to try to trade with McGregor.
His best chance is to get the fight to the ground where he figures to have a huge grappling advantage. The longer it stays on the feet, the less chance Diaz will have to win.
Who Wins?
McGregor is beatable, and there are more than a handful of guys between 155 and 170 pounds who can get it done (Rafael dos Anjos, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Rory MacDonald and Stephen Thompson, to name a few), but Diaz isn’t one of them.
The Notorious One will pick Diaz apart from the outside with level-changing kicks en route to a second-round TKO win.
Anderson Silva is the most perplexing athlete in mixed martial arts. On Saturday night in London, Michael Bisping defeated Silva via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in an odd, controversial and entertaining bout. The UFC congratulated both men…
Anderson Silva is the most perplexing athlete in mixed martial arts. On Saturday night in London, Michael Bisping defeated Silva via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in an odd, controversial and entertaining bout. The UFC congratulated both men after the fight:
There seems to be a disconnect in Silva’s mind when it comes to determining what wins a fight in the UFC these days. His post-fight comments, per Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani, supported that notion:
Silva is seemingly more interested in posing and making cinematic movements with his hands than landing strikes.
Through the first two rounds, Bisping was busier, and he even dropped Silva in the second round. There wasn’t a ton of action—aside from Silva’s posturing—but Bisping had clearly won both frames.
In the third, Silva came alive. He got more serious and took control of the center of the Octagon. Controversy struck at the close of the round.
Bisping lost his mouthpiece about 15 seconds before the end of the frame. He pointed to it, but referee Herb Dean didn’t stop the action.
Just before the horn, Silva landed a flying knee that dropped Bisping. Dean waved off the round, but he should’ve called it a knockout. Silva thought he’d won the fight.
He went into full celebration mode. It took at least three minutes for someone in his corner to convey to him that the fight wasn’t over.
Instead of coming out hard in the fourth round, Silva was tentative, and he gave away another round. To make things worse, he didn’t capitalize after he hurt Bisping with a front kick. Zombie Prophet shared a replay:
Bisping stumbled back, but instead of pouncing on his injured opponent, Silva just looked at him.
Silva won the round, but he didn’t understand where he was in the fight. As the decision was read, he looked shocked that he didn’t win.
During the post-fight interview, Bisping had nothing but respect for Silva, per Helwani and the UFC:
Bisping deserved to win, but he wasn’t the better fighter. Silva gave him the fight, and Dean made a key error. Where does Silva go from here? At 40 years old, the chances that he changes his style seem slim.
However, he probably has no chance to beat the best in the world with his style-over-substance approach. Bisping is a worker who will give most fighters a tough night, but he has also proved time and again that he’s not an elite 185-pounder.
This one left a weird taste in your mouth after it ended, but it was fun to watch.
Mousasi Dominates Leites
The co-main event was a one-sided beatdown. Thales Leites had no answer for Gegard Mousasi’s kickboxing. Mousasi dominated Leites in every round. Leites, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, attempted to take Mousasi down on several occasions. Every attempt was stuffed.
Leites lost his confidence and had no choice but to take the beating. In the final round, he did land a hard shot, but it didn’t put Mousasi in any danger.
The fight should have been a shutout on all three cards. Somehow, one judge found a round to give to Leites. Zombie Prophet shared an image of a beaten and battered Leites:
Mousasi might have had some room to push the action against Leites, but he was content to pick the Brazilian apart from a distance. Referencing his technical-knockout loss to Uriah Hall in September, Mousasi explained his approach Saturday night:
A win is better than a thrilling defeat. Here’s a look at all of the results:
Main Card Results
Michael Bisping def. Anderson Silva via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47).
Tom Breese def. Keita Nakamura via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Brad Pickett def. Francisco Rivera via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Undercard Results
Makwan Amirkhani def. Mike Wilkinson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Davey Grant def. Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26).
Scott Askham def. Chris Dempsey via knockout (head kick) at 4:45 of Round 1.
Arnold Allen def. Yaotzin Meza via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Krzysztof Jotko def. Brad Scott via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Rustam Khabilov def. Norman Parke via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Daniel Omielanczuk def. Jarjis Danho via technical decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29).
Teemu Packalen def. Thibault Gouti via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:24 of Round 1.
David Teymur def. Martin Svensson via technical knockout (punches) at 1:26 of Round 2.
The Finishes
Teymur Takes Down Svensson
The uppercut was the punch of the day in the early bouts. David Teymur used the punch to put Martin Svensson in peril in the second round.
After a high-octane first round, Svensson looked to be gassed coming into the second. The nasty uppercut caught Svensson coming in and put him down. Teymur wasted no time pounding his opponent out to get the stoppage.
The UFC shared the finish:
It was the UFC debut for both men and Teymur’s fourth consecutive win.
Packalen Chokes Out Gouti
An uppercut was the shot that led to Teemu Packalen’s victory over Thibault Gouti. Early in the first round, Packalen dropped Gouti in a brief exchange and almost immediately took his opponent’s back to lock in the rear-naked choke.
It took just 24 seconds, and the bout was over. Here’s the finish:
It was Gouti’s UFC debut, and he was previously undefeated. Packalen shook off a loss in his UFC debut to score the impressive victory.
Ashkam Depletes Dempsey with Head Kick
The American Chris Dempsey was performing well early in the first round, but Scott Ashkam turned the tables in a major way. A straight left hand started the issues for Dempsey, and a follow-up head kick turned out the lights.
Referee Yves Lavigne didn’t waste time stopping the bout. The UFC’s official Twitter account applauded the Brit’s brutal finish:
We should’ve predicted a win for Ashkam; it fit his pattern. He has alternated wins and losses in his four UFC bouts. Krzysztof Jotko defeated him via split decision in his last fight.
This was Dempsey’s second straight loss. Both have come by technical knockout.
On Friday night at Bellator 150 at the Kansas Star Arena in Wichita, Kansas, heavyweight Cheick Kongo survived a late scare from Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz to win a split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) in the main event.
After controlling the first two…
On Friday night at Bellator 150 at the Kansas Star Arena in Wichita, Kansas, heavyweight Cheick Kongo survived a late scare from Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz to win a split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) in the main event.
After controlling the first two rounds with well-placed leg kicks, Kongo opened up in the third round. During an exchange, he ate a hard overhand right from the 6’7″ Brazilian that put the 40-year-old Frenchman down.
Kongo has gained a reputation for his defensive prowess, but he also possesses excellent recuperation skills. Vinicius made the mistake of falling into Kongo’s guard as he went for the finish. This allowed Kongo to hold on and regain his wherewithal.
He kept Spartan in the half-guard until the 20-second mark in the final round, when referee John McCarthy stood the two fighters up. By this time, Kongo had his legs underneath him, and Spartan’s opportunity to pull out the win had passed.
Despite the knockdown, one judge felt Kongo won every round. Jason Floyd of The MMA Report thought that was absurd:
Originally, the Kongo vs. Spartan bout was supposed to be the co-main event ahead of a Bellator featherweight title fight between champion Marcos Galvao and former champion Eduardo Dantas.
However, Galvao fell ill, and the fight was called off, per MMA Weekly. Without that main event, the card felt dry, but that’s MMA. At least the new co-main event delivered.
The Caveman Delights Hometown Crowd
David “Caveman” Rickels is not an elite fighter, but he does put on a show whenever he’s on a Bellator card. On Friday night, his in-cage action matched his flamboyant cage walk. In the first round, Rickels used some nasty knees and ground-and-pound to destroy Bobby Cooper.
Rickels took some shots from Cooper that might have given him some trouble against better opponents, but in the end, the Caveman survived the scrap.
CompuStrike shared the lopsided striking numbers:
Rickels has consistently come up short against the elite lightweights in Bellator. Michael Chandler has stopped him twice, and Patricky Freire has stopped him once. But if Rickels can grab another victory, he may be in position to face another elite 155-pounder.
Results
Rebecca Ruth def. Lena Ovchynnikova by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Kendall Grove def. Francisco France by second-round knockout.
David Rickels def. Bobby Cooper by first-round knockout.
Cheick Kongo def. Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29).
Ruth Overpowers Ovchynnikova
Renowned kickboxer Lena Ovchynnikova ran up against a challenge she couldn’t overcome Friday night. Rebecca Ruth used her superior strength and wrestling to keep her opponent pinned to the mat or against the cage for most of the fight.
Her punches weren’t doing tons of damage, but she was able to smother Ovchynnikova’s attempts to use her striking skills. Ruth controlled positioning throughout the fight.
MMAFighting.com’s Steve Juon was on point with his analysis of Ovchynnikova’s game:
While she has the foundation to become a strong mixed martial artist, she’s too one-dimensional at this point in her career. Perhaps she’ll use this loss as a learning experience.
The Lion King Takes Down Reyno
Under the brightest spotlight in his career, 22-year-old Chuka “The Lion King” Willis dominated the second and third rounds to defeat previously undefeated Gaston Reyno via unanimous decision.
Willis’ speed, grappling and poise were on full display. In the first round, he survived a tight guillotine attempt by Reyno. Willis looked to be in trouble at one point, but he was able to pop his head out of the hold. The failed attempt seemed to zap Reyno’s energy.
In the second round, Willis used a hard right hand to deposit Reyno on the canvas. Willis couldn’t get the finish, but he coasted to victory from that point. It’s early in his career, but the arrow is pointing up for Willis.
Grove Destroys France
At 6’5″, Kendall Grove owns a length advantage over nearly every opponent he faces. He’s beginning to understand how to use that advantage.
He was patient against Francisco France through an uneventful first round, but Grove exploded in the second frame. He used his long arms to control France from a distance in the clinch. As he pushed France against the cage, Grove unleashed some bombs that knocked France out cold.
The win was especially important for Grove. His brother died a month ago, per the Spike broadcast, but he appeared to use the hardship as motivation to deliver his second straight win via knockout.
As much as Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz is a battle between two of the UFC’s biggest trash talkers, it’s also a clash of styles. McGregor—who is jumping two weight classes to face Diaz—has promised to finish his opponent inside the first round.