Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz engaged in a bloody, tense five-round clash Saturday night at UFC 202 in Las Vegas, and the Notorious exacted revenge with a majority-decision victory that could set up the final chapter of an epic trilogy.
Judges scored the fight 48-47, 48-47, 47-47 in favor of McGregor, per Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, and the tightly contested bout generated buzz across social media.
HBO’s Bill Simmons was among those who marveled at the resilience that both fighters flashed throughout the grueling affair:
CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish was also floored by the efforts McGregor and Diaz put forth in the instant classic:
Elsewhere, ESPN.com’s Pablo Torre characterized the raw physicality that enveloped the fight with a fitting point:
Here’s a look at the best of the rest:
Given the way things unfolded Saturday night, a rubber match between the two warriors makes loads of sense.
Not only would it generate plenty of revenue and interest after the second bout went the distance following Diaz’s shocking upset in the first meeting, but it would also give both men a chance to leave their marks on the sport and cement themselves as legends.
And in his post-fight comments, Diaz was already campaigning for another spin with McGregor in the Octagon.
“He should have finished me off,” Diaz said, per MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani. “I want No. 3.”
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com