Countdown to UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz

Despite having to deal with a last minute switch up in the main event, the UFC has once again released its usual Countdown show ahead of this weekend’s (March 5, 2016) UFC 196 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the blockbuster card will be a welterweight clash between reigning featherweight

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Despite having to deal with a last minute switch up in the main event, the UFC has once again released its usual Countdown show ahead of this weekend’s (March 5, 2016) UFC 196 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Headlining the blockbuster card will be a welterweight clash between reigning featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor and outspoken bad boy Nate Diaz.

McGregor was originally scheduled to move up in weight to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight strap, but the 155-pound champion was forced out of the bout with a broken foot.

The Irishman has won all seven of his UFC bouts including six finishes. He is also coming off of a spectacular 13-second knockout of former long-time 145-pound title holder Jose Aldo.

Diaz recently returned from nearly a year long layoff, scoring an impressive decision victory over Michael Johnson last December.

That’s not all for the card, however, as newly minted bantamweight ruler Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm will defend her title for the very first time against former Strikeforce title holder Miesha “Cupcake” Tate in the co-main event.

Holm is coming off of a massive upset victory over former champion Ronda Rousey last November, a breath taking finish that not many saw coming.

Tate, on the other hand, has compiled a four fight win streak since losing to Rousey for a second time in 2013.

Take a deeper look into the preparations of these four fighters with full Countdown video below courtesy of the UFC:

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Video: Conor McGregor Crashes Fan’s Apartment In L.A.

With only a few short days remaining until his blockbuster clash with Nate Diaz at Saturday’s UFC 196, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor continues to make an impact upon the mixed martial arts (MMA) world like no other fighter has before. In true ‘Notorious’ style in a recent video released by TMZ today, McGregor saw

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With only a few short days remaining until his blockbuster clash with Nate Diaz at Saturday’s UFC 196, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor continues to make an impact upon the mixed martial arts (MMA) world like no other fighter has before.

In true ‘Notorious’ style in a recent video released by TMZ today, McGregor saw a fan in Los Angeles displaying a cardboard cutout of him with an Irish flag. McGregor promised to come visit the fan the next day while driving through town in his Rolls Royce, and he delivered on his promise.

What followed was understandably quite the moment for the McGregor superfan, and it also showed how far McGregor is willing to go for those that cheer for him. Check it out right here:

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Pic: Nate Diaz Is In Great Shape For Conor McGregor Fight

Heading into this weekend’s (Sat., March 5, 2016) awaited welterweight clash between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196, one of the biggest questions surrounding the blockbuster bout was whether or not Diaz would be in good enough shape after taking the fight on short notice. UFC president Dana White

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Heading into this weekend’s (Sat., March 5, 2016) awaited welterweight clash between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196, one of the biggest questions surrounding the blockbuster bout was whether or not Diaz would be in good enough shape after taking the fight on short notice.

UFC president Dana White assured fans that Diaz had been training for a triathlon and was in phenomenal shape, but there were many online who questioned the authenticity of that statement.

Today, however, some evidence has arrived that would at least suggest Diaz may be the elite shape needed to implement his patented high-volume ‘Stockton Slap’ boxing style, as Twitter user Alejandra Sevani posted a photo of Diaz looking in great shape for the fight in response to Octagon commentator Brian Stann’s speculation. Check it out right here and decide for yourself:

Stann agreed that Diaz is in great shape, signifying a good sign for the electric bout from Las Vegas:

So it appears that the questions about Diaz’ conditioning have been answered, at least for now. Does that make you give him any more of a chance against the bulldozing McGregor?

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UFC 196 Embedded Episode 1

Fight week is once again upon us, and we have a blockbuster event coming to us this weekend. UFC 196 is slated for March 5, 2016 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event features a highly-anticipated welterweight showdown between featherweight champion Conor McGregor and outspoken

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Fight week is once again upon us, and we have a blockbuster event coming to us this weekend. UFC 196 is slated for March 5, 2016 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main event features a highly-anticipated welterweight showdown between featherweight champion Conor McGregor and outspoken bad boy Nate Diaz. Newly minted bantamweight queen Holly Holm will also defend her title in the co-main event against former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate.

Along with fight week comes the UFC’s Embedded series with the first episode being released tonight (February 29, 2016).

McGregor can be seen training with his infamous movement coach, Ido Portal, early on before enjoying a steak dinner as he doesn’t have to worry so much about cutting weight.

Holm takes a day off from the gym, also receiving a visit from teammate, former light heavyweight champion, and pound-for-pound king Jon “Bones” Jones.

Tate, on the other hand, goes on a light night run in order to prepare her mind and body for fight day.

Check out the full episode below courtesy of the UFC:

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Jose Aldo Insists He’ll Have Conor McGregor Rematch At UFC 200

After shockingly surrendering his title in just 13-seconds at UFC 194 last December, former long-time featherweight champion Jose Aldo has claimed that he will not accept any other fight besides a rematch with the Conor McGregor or a shot at the title. That opportunity was recently made available when McGregor’s scheduled UFC 196 opponent, lightweight

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After shockingly surrendering his title in just 13-seconds at UFC 194 last December, former long-time featherweight champion Jose Aldo has claimed that he will not accept any other fight besides a rematch with the Conor McGregor or a shot at the title.

That opportunity was recently made available when McGregor’s scheduled UFC 196 opponent, lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, pulled out of the bout with a broken foot.

The UFC had called Aldo and offered him the short notice fight with the “Notorious” one, but apparently “Scarface” wasn’t in fight shape.

Recently speaking on the matter, the former champion said that this isn’t a ‘cock fight’, and that with ample time to train he’d fight anyone:

“Any professional needs time to train,” Aldo told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s The MMA Hour. “It’s not a cockfight where I go there and put my rooster to fight. It’s a high-level sport, I’m going there to do my job. When I have time to train, it can happen at any time, anywhere.”

As far as what the future holds, Aldo actually said that he and the UFC have agreed on an immediate rematch between he and the Irish champion:

“I can’t speak for others, and I don’t care what they say. I know I deserve an immediate rematch,” Aldo said of those who think he should be in a non-title bout next. “People who say I don’t, I don’t care about them. The important is what the UFC thinks and what we think. We came to the conclusion that we’re having an immediate rematch.”

McGregor is slated to face off with Nate Diaz this weekend in Las Vegas, and has already confirmed that he will fight at July’s UFC 200 which seems to fit into Aldo’s schedule as well:

“I want to fight at UFC 200,” Aldo said. “It’s a historical edition, a great event. I would like to be part of it.”

Regarding predictions, the devastating knockout loss hasn’t lowered Aldo’s confidence:

“I know I will win (the belt) again,” he said.

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Nate Diaz’ Coach ‘Knows’ Conor McGregor Is On Steroids

Last week after the dust settled on lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos’ withdrawal from his UFC 196 bout against Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz stepped in to replace him, the promotion put on an impromptu press conference in Torrance, California, and the result will almost certainly go down as one of the most memorable trash

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Last week after the dust settled on lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos’ withdrawal from his UFC 196 bout against Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz stepped in to replace him, the promotion put on an impromptu press conference in Torrance, California, and the result will almost certainly go down as one of the most memorable trash talk battles in UFC history.

McGregor predictably flung silver-tongued insults at Diaz from angles, some of which centered on his supposed thug persona and contradictory teaching tendencies. Diaz, however, chose to be more quiet, letting the brevity of his fewer words resonant stronger.

Perhaps the most heated reaction from either fighter came when Diaz accused the now bulked-up McGregor, who will go from 145 pounds all the way up to 170 for this fight, of being on steroids. His response made Diaz’ boxing coach Richard Perez believe that ‘The Notorious’ has something to hide, a stance he detailed during a recent interview with Submission Radio:

“Oh I sure do believe that, heck yeah. Some guys, they get busted – and to be honest with you, I know McGregor has got to be on some kind of steroids, he’s pretty big. And then all of a sudden [he’s] jumping to 170? Yeah there’s no way, cause I mean, he was supposed to be fighting at 155. So if you think about it, he was focusing on training at 155. He only had two weeks to go. And all of a sudden he’s gonna jump to 170? So no, there’s something going on. But still, I mean, we’re still gonna fight and that’s all there is to it.”

Expanding upon his reasons for his opinion, Perez said that McGregor’s reaction tipped his hand, as a competitor who was truly not on steroids would have laughed off the words rather than get defensive:

“When Nathan mentioned it to him he got defensive, he got angry. If somebody would have told me that I was fighting and he told me, you know, steroids, I would laugh and say, ‘yeah give me some more steroids, heck yeah, ah ha sure’. But he got defensive and mad, you know, “I’m not on steroids, I’m not on steroids”. You know, he was like trying to defend himself. So that, just his actions and the way he talked is…there’s something behind that.”

There’s no question whatsoever that McGregor has been packing on the pounds after draining himself to the point of exhaustion for his bouts at 145 pounds, but a most have attributed that to his move up a weight class to face dos Anjos.

A move up two full weight classes is understandably concerning to the MMA community as a whole, however. With performance-enhancing drugs one of the hottest topics in the UFC, do you believe Perez’ words hold weight, or he is simply hyping the already massive bout even further?

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