Dates, schedules, opponents, and main events change all the time in mixed martial arts (MMA). But for UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor, half of his promotional stint has been based around last-second tweaks. To little concern of the Irishman, these unsuspecting changes have no stopped his meteoric rise. Due in part to his habit of
Dates, schedules, opponents, and main events change all the time in mixed martial arts (MMA). But for UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor, half of his promotional stint has been based around last-second tweaks.
To little concern of the Irishman, these unsuspecting changes have no stopped his meteoric rise. Due in part to his habit of training to simply get better, not necessarily for a singular opponent, McGregor has continued his winning ways en route to becoming the biggest star in the sport.
However, there will come a time when these perennial switches so close to fight night end up hurting McGregor’s stock. While it may not come in the form of defeat, it may at least diminish his aura of invincibility.
Unfortunately for fight fans of all shapes and sizes, the featherweight king’s jump up to 170 pounds this coming weekend at UFC 196 may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. McGregor’s opponent, Nate Diaz (who is filling in for Rafael dos Anjos), possesses a significant size advantage and understands how to utilize distance as good as anybody. Not to mention he possesses a chin that has held up for the most part over eight years of UFC competition.
Their matchup undoubtedly seems glorious on paper, but with somewhat contradicting movements inside of the cage, and our expectations for McGregor every time he takes flight, UFC 196 may in fact produce a dud.
Here are five glaring reasons why a McGregor vs. Diaz tilt will disappoint the masses.
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
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?
The UFC 196 main event is going to be madness. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz at welterweight, expect many middle fingers… As the UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos broke his foot one week ago, we are now just five days away from seeing Conor McGregor face Nate Diaz. The UFC 196 main event is
The UFC 196 main event is going to be madness. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz at welterweight, expect many middle fingers…
As the UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos broke his foot one week ago, we are now just five days away from seeing Conor McGregor face Nate Diaz. The UFC 196 main event is perhaps less meaningful, but maybe equally or more fun than the original booking, it really all depends what you look for in a fight. For fans of attitude and trash talk, this is a great one, but let’s look at how they stack up in the octagon.
Conor McGregor, for once, will be at a reach disadvantage against the naturally bigger Nate Diaz, by two inches. The Stockton bad boy is three inches taller, so it will certainly be intriguing to see how ‘The Notorious’ deals with a fighter that also uses range well and is longer than anyone he’s faced.
Physicality aside, we have an interesting pairing of styles. On the one hand, with McGregor, you have a very diverse strategy, in the form of intuitive movement and body shapes, as well as the ability to strike on the front or back foot, which could prove pivotal. In terms of arsenal, McGregor has an in depth set of tools and likes to throw spinning kicks as well as power punches and anything in between. Diaz is more of a precise boxer, and the performance he put in against Michael Johnson is a perfect example of how effective Diaz can e when he utilizes his length properly.
The big question in this fight is will Diaz be able to take the power strikes of McGregor as he’s done with opponents in the past? Another factor that could quite easily win this fight is the defense of McGregor, as well as his footwork, which will be key in overcoming the range of Diaz. We saw in the Josh Thomson fight that good footwork and head kicks can unravel a taller fighter, but Diaz was also in pretty corny shape that night.
If the ripped and focused Diaz that dominated Michael Johnson in December shows up against McGregor on Saturday March 5, this could well be either man’s fight for the taking. One major advantage that Diaz holds over McGregor though? The grappling, as the Cesar Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt has shown in past fights, he can be a nightmare even for accomplished ground fighters.
So, who you got?
Skip to page 2 for the UFC 196 fight card and schedule…
The UFC has released a new promo for UFC 196 featuring Conor McGregor (19-2) and Nate Diaz (18-10). It is titled “Money Fight” in reference to Diaz wanting bigger fights. You can watch the trailer for the highly anticipated fight below.
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The UFC has released a new promo for UFC 196 featuring Conor McGregor (19-2) and Nate Diaz (18-10). It is titled “Money Fight” in reference to Diaz wanting bigger fights. You can watch the trailer for the highly anticipated fight below.
Although the UFC is beyond ecstatic with Conor McGregor (19-2) facing Nate Diaz (18-10), the path to getting that fight was not easy. As fans know, Rafael Dos Anjos had to pull out of his title fight with McGregor with a broken foot. Fighters pulling out of big fights have happened one too many times in the past. Moving forward, the UFC should book alternates when announcing big fights of a main event in case one of the fighters pull out.
The UFC was scrambling all day on February 23rd to find a replacement for the Irishman. Numerous names included Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Urijah Faber, etc. Some of the fighters declined the offer to fight McGregor, while others were already booked for future fights.
This scenario of fighters pulling out of big fights has happened way too many times. Just recently, Cain Velasquez pulled out of his title fight with Fabricio Werdum earlier this month. Subsequently, Werdum pulled out as well and the pay-per-view event was moved to Fox Sports 1. Jose Aldo had to pull out of UFC 189 with a rib injury against Conor McGregor. Dan Henderson also had to pull out of his title fight with Jon Jones at UFC 151 back in 2012. UFC 151 was then scrapped entirely and became the first cancelled card in the company’s history.
The UFC did get what they want in McGregor vs. Diaz but what if they did not? What if McGregor was pulled from the card entirely? These are things the UFC would not want to see. The easiest solution to avoid these scenarios is to have an alternate fighter signed and ready to fight in the main event in case one of the two fighters pull out.
This is no different than any wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament. Events like those have alternates ready in case one of the competitors cannot compete or get injured in the middle of the tournament.
Critics might say that the UFC should instead “beef” up their cards by providing fans with good fights from top to bottom so that a card is not cancelled or relegated to Fox/Fight Pass. However, it is tough for the UFC to provide fans with big names consistently since there are more than 540 fighters on the UFC roster.
Fans have to realize that the promotion is in a period of time where it is trying to become more mainstream by gaining a wider presence on Fox, expansion of UFC Fight Pass, and introduction of raw and potential talents. Zuffa’s goal is to provide as much content as they can to sports fans. In return, we can only hope that we can see more fighters gain stardom like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey has.
No matter what kind of fighters you have on a card, Conor McGregor will dominate the entire event. The same could be said with Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, or Jon Jones. Fans expect to see these fighters on the card when they first purchase tickets. When one of the fighters pulls out, the entertainment value immediately drops. An alternate would ensure that the card is not juggled up or in danger of being cancelled.
An alternate would also be a much smoother transition for the UFC brass when a fighter pulls out. When Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out, the MMA community was in a panic storm. Countless fighters wanted to fight McGregor. There were numerous rumors and false statements being made. Dana White was scrambling to find someone to fight McGregor after Aldo and Edgar turned down the bout. An alternate or fighter on standby would eliminate all that and would save the PR team a lot of trouble.
The UFC did have a “contingency plan” at UFC 189 when it was first reported that Aldo had a rib injury. In jeopardy of losing the big fight, Chad Mendes was made an alternate two weeks before the fight in case Aldo had to pull out. He eventually did.
The UFC should adopt this policy they had at UFC 189 moving forward with big fights that feature fighters like McGregor, Rousey, Jon Jones, or any highly anticipated fight to avoid catastrophe.
Although the UFC is beyond ecstatic with Conor McGregor (19-2) facing Nate Diaz (18-10), the path to getting that fight was not easy. As fans know, Rafael Dos Anjos had to pull out of his title fight with McGregor with a broken foot. Fighters pulling out of big fights have happened one too many times in the past. Moving forward, the UFC should book alternates when announcing big fights of a main event in case one of the fighters pull out.
The UFC was scrambling all day on February 23rd to find a replacement for the Irishman. Numerous names included Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Urijah Faber, etc. Some of the fighters declined the offer to fight McGregor, while others were already booked for future fights.
This scenario of fighters pulling out of big fights has happened way too many times. Just recently, Cain Velasquez pulled out of his title fight with Fabricio Werdum earlier this month. Subsequently, Werdum pulled out as well and the pay-per-view event was moved to Fox Sports 1. Jose Aldo had to pull out of UFC 189 with a rib injury against Conor McGregor. Dan Henderson also had to pull out of his title fight with Jon Jones at UFC 151 back in 2012. UFC 151 was then scrapped entirely and became the first cancelled card in the company’s history.
The UFC did get what they want in McGregor vs. Diaz but what if they did not? What if McGregor was pulled from the card entirely? These are things the UFC would not want to see. The easiest solution to avoid these scenarios is to have an alternate fighter signed and ready to fight in the main event in case one of the two fighters pull out.
This is no different than any wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament. Events like those have alternates ready in case one of the competitors cannot compete or get injured in the middle of the tournament.
Critics might say that the UFC should instead “beef” up their cards by providing fans with good fights from top to bottom so that a card is not cancelled or relegated to Fox/Fight Pass. However, it is tough for the UFC to provide fans with big names consistently since there are more than 540 fighters on the UFC roster.
Fans have to realize that the promotion is in a period of time where it is trying to become more mainstream by gaining a wider presence on Fox, expansion of UFC Fight Pass, and introduction of raw and potential talents. Zuffa’s goal is to provide as much content as they can to sports fans. In return, we can only hope that we can see more fighters gain stardom like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey has.
No matter what kind of fighters you have on a card, Conor McGregor will dominate the entire event. The same could be said with Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, or Jon Jones. Fans expect to see these fighters on the card when they first purchase tickets. When one of the fighters pulls out, the entertainment value immediately drops. An alternate would ensure that the card is not juggled up or in danger of being cancelled.
An alternate would also be a much smoother transition for the UFC brass when a fighter pulls out. When Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out, the MMA community was in a panic storm. Countless fighters wanted to fight McGregor. There were numerous rumors and false statements being made. Dana White was scrambling to find someone to fight McGregor after Aldo and Edgar turned down the bout. An alternate or fighter on standby would eliminate all that and would save the PR team a lot of trouble.
The UFC did have a “contingency plan” at UFC 189 when it was first reported that Aldo had a rib injury. In jeopardy of losing the big fight, Chad Mendes was made an alternate two weeks before the fight in case Aldo had to pull out. He eventually did.
The UFC should adopt this policy they had at UFC 189 moving forward with big fights that feature fighters like McGregor, Rousey, Jon Jones, or any highly anticipated fight to avoid catastrophe.
“He’s like a little cholo gangster from the hood, but at the same time he coaches kids’ jiu-jitsu on a Sunday morning and goes on bike rides with the elderly.”
– Conor McGregor
With UFC 196 now exactly one week awa…
https://youtu.be/EFgL2lCZNTs
“He’s like a little cholo gangster from the hood, but at the same time he coaches kids’ jiu-jitsu on a Sunday morning and goes on bike rides with the elderly.”
– Conor McGregor
With UFC 196 now exactly one week away, it only feels appropriate to look back at some of the best moments from this week’s pre-fight press conference with Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.
Featured above, courtesy of the official UFC On FOX YouTube channel, is a compilation of some of the highlights from the already infamous press conference held earlier this week to promote the new UFC 196 main event between McGregor and Diaz.
For those who missed it, you can also read a detailed recap and watch a complete video archive of this week’s UFC 196 pre-fight press conference by clicking here.
UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz takes place on Saturday, March 5th from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Make sure to visit MMANews.com on 3/5 for the best UFC 196 live results coverage on the web!
