Although nothing has been officially confirmed just yet, it’s been widely assumed that reigning UFC featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor will rematch Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at July 9’s UFC 200. The two men infamously faced off at March 5’s UFC 196 with McGregor shockingly losing by way of submission in a
Although nothing has been officially confirmed just yet, it’s been widely assumed that reigning UFC featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor will rematch Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at July 9’s UFC 200.
The two men infamously faced off at March 5’s UFC 196 with McGregor shockingly losing by way of submission in a fight two whole weight classes above his usual home at 145-pounds.
While many have criticized the “Notorious” one in the aftermath of the bout, boxer Andre Berto, who has apparently become friends with McGregor, claims that the Irishman is all for the rematch:
“I talked to him actually like three days ago. He’s doing all right,” Berto told TMZ. “Of course, a lot of situations that he feels played a part on why he lost. I know him and he’s hungry to get back, and I think he wants to try to get his rematch in.”
But is that the right choice?
Berto feels as if McGregor should jump back down in weight, defend his title, and take a fight or two before a rematch with the Stockton Bad Boy occurs:
“I think he should probably take another fight or two first. I think he should go back down (in weight),” Berto explained. “Conor’s the type of guy, I think he’s a lot more effective when he’s disciplined. When he’s cutting weight, when he’s staying on his diet, things like that, it just does something to the mind of a fighter and I think he’s the type of fighter that responds to it.”
In fact, Berto feels as if the move up in weight produced a less focused “Notorious” one:
“When you give a guy like that, he already has tons of fame, tons of money and now he doesn’t have to make weight for a fight.”
Despite McGregor’s recent loss, however, the former champion feels as if the “Notorious” one will come back better than ever:
“I think he’s going to come back better,” Berto said. “I think it’s going to be a bigger situation when he comes back.”
If he does end up squaring off with Diaz again, what do you expect from McGregor in the rematch?
He might have been submitted by Nate Diaz in the second round of their main event bout at March 5’s UFC 196, but featherweight champion Conor McGregor still threw some trash talk at the Stockton slugger with a descriptive photo yesterday that teased a different result in the rematch. Understandably miffed at how McGregor’s first-ever loss has
He might have been submitted by Nate Diaz in the second round of their main event bout at March 5’s UFC 196, but featherweight champion Conor McGregor still threw some trash talk at the Stockton slugger with a descriptive photo yesterday that teased a different result in the rematch.
Understandably miffed at how McGregor’s first-ever loss has been portrayed, Diaz took to his own Instagram account to post a simple reply that featured only a telling image rather than any semblance of trash talk. Check it out:
Looking at Diaz vs. McGregor I from that point of view, it obviously seems as if Diaz dominated the bout, and when he hit the Irish superstar with a two-punch combination that wobbled him in the second frame, he obviously did just that by locking on the fight-ending rear-naked choke.
The facts of the matter have also riled up the mixed martial arts community, as many believe ‘Notorious’ should go back to featherweight to defend his title against Frankie Edgar or Jose Aldo considering he has zero defenses since he won it in December.
But McGregor had his own moments in the fight, particularly in the first round that he appeared to win, and with a more efficient utlization of his energy, a rematch could most certainly have a different outcome.
Diaz will most likely come into the bout supremely confident, however, and it seems McGregor’s already suspect ground game was called into serious question during the telling fight. A veteran of several more high-profile bouts as well, Diaz is also the bigger fighter on top of it all, a disadvantage McGregor saw go his way in extreme fashion during his dominant, undefeated run at featherweight.
Regardless, heat for their rematch is starting to build whether fans like it or not. And even if other fights might seem to make more sense for McGregor, let’s be honest — we’re all going to be tuning in at UFC 200.
Whether or not we watch a different result is up to McGregor.
Tristar Gym’s Firas Zahabi appeared as a guest on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com and spoke with Ariel Helwani about the reason why Georges St-Pierre was in attendance at the UFC 196 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 5th.
According to Zahabi, GSP was at the show to support a teammate and because the event originally called for Conor McGregor to challenge Rafael Dos Anjos for the UFC Lightweight title in an attempt to become the first-ever man in UFC history to hold two belts in two weight divisions simaltaneously. Because St-Pierre is still a fan of the sport, Zahabi claimed he wanted to be there to witness history.
While GSP is still a fan at heart, he is also still a competitor and as Zahabi explains, it would have been cool to see either Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz call out GSP after their fight at UFC 196.
“If McGregor had won [against Nate Diaz at UFC 196], McGregor is just such a, he’s just such a guy, he stirs the pot, obviously, like nobody else. It could have been crazy if he called out Georges. It could have been crazy if Nate called out Georges,” said Zahabi.
Zahabi continued, “Anything could have been motivating to Georges. I think it could have happened. Nothing happened. He went in there just to watch the fights. McGregor was supposed to fight [UFC lightweight champion Rafael] dos Anjos, don’t forget. He was supposed to be the first man to carry two belts if he wins. So Georges wanted to be there for that momentous occasion, not necessarily just for Conor, but also [Tristar teammate] Nordine [Taleb] was fighting. We talked about going to the show, plus maybe McGregor might win two titles, that’ll be huge…It’s a huge thing when somebody tries to win outside of his category. We’re fans of the sport as well.”
While GSP no doubt enjoyed his experience as a spectator at the event, according to Zahabi, he also “felt that feeling again” when he got close to the Octagon in Las Vegas.
“He told me, he did tell me when he was close to the Octagon, he felt that feeling again,” Zahabi said. “I personally believe he has a lot of fight left in him. He’s phenomenal. The guy is still an incredible athlete, as usual. When he does come to training – he was in training today – his performances are amazing.
“He’s still the best in the world, in my opinion. If he chooses, if he feels like going into the Octagon, it’s if he has the right motivation, if he has that feeling, I think he’ll show the world he’s still the best.”
Tristar Gym’s Firas Zahabi appeared as a guest on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com and spoke with Ariel Helwani about the reason why Georges St-Pierre was in attendance at the UFC 196 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 5th.
According to Zahabi, GSP was at the show to support a teammate and because the event originally called for Conor McGregor to challenge Rafael Dos Anjos for the UFC Lightweight title in an attempt to become the first-ever man in UFC history to hold two belts in two weight divisions simaltaneously. Because St-Pierre is still a fan of the sport, Zahabi claimed he wanted to be there to witness history.
While GSP is still a fan at heart, he is also still a competitor and as Zahabi explains, it would have been cool to see either Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz call out GSP after their fight at UFC 196.
“If McGregor had won [against Nate Diaz at UFC 196], McGregor is just such a, he’s just such a guy, he stirs the pot, obviously, like nobody else. It could have been crazy if he called out Georges. It could have been crazy if Nate called out Georges,” said Zahabi.
Zahabi continued, “Anything could have been motivating to Georges. I think it could have happened. Nothing happened. He went in there just to watch the fights. McGregor was supposed to fight [UFC lightweight champion Rafael] dos Anjos, don’t forget. He was supposed to be the first man to carry two belts if he wins. So Georges wanted to be there for that momentous occasion, not necessarily just for Conor, but also [Tristar teammate] Nordine [Taleb] was fighting. We talked about going to the show, plus maybe McGregor might win two titles, that’ll be huge…It’s a huge thing when somebody tries to win outside of his category. We’re fans of the sport as well.”
While GSP no doubt enjoyed his experience as a spectator at the event, according to Zahabi, he also “felt that feeling again” when he got close to the Octagon in Las Vegas.
“He told me, he did tell me when he was close to the Octagon, he felt that feeling again,” Zahabi said. “I personally believe he has a lot of fight left in him. He’s phenomenal. The guy is still an incredible athlete, as usual. When he does come to training – he was in training today – his performances are amazing.
“He’s still the best in the world, in my opinion. If he chooses, if he feels like going into the Octagon, it’s if he has the right motivation, if he has that feeling, I think he’ll show the world he’s still the best.”
After shockingly being submitted by Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at UFC 196 earlier this month, it was widely thought that outspoken featherweight champion Conor McGregor would drop back down to 145-pounds to defend his title at UFC 200. However, recent reports have indicated that a rematch between McGregor and Diaz seems to be
After shockingly being submitted by Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at UFC 196 earlier this month, it was widely thought that outspoken featherweight champion Conor McGregor would drop back down to 145-pounds to defend his title at UFC 200.
However, recent reports have indicated that a rematch between McGregor and Diaz seems to be the frontrunner to headline July 9’s blockbuster event from Las Vegas.
The Irishman’s coach even said that an announcement could be made within the coming days.
If the two do end up going at it again, Gunnar Nelson, a teammate of McGregor’s, is very confident that the “Notorious” one will fix his mistakes and pick the Stockton native apart:
“I think he will take his time and pick him apart a bit better,” Nelson told Daily Star. “I think Diaz won’t be able to get him down when Conor is on, and he reserves his energy and his balance is there.”
While Nelson did note Diaz’s unparalleled toughness, he also claimed that the Irish knockout artist should’ve finished the bout at UFC 196. With a few changes, “Gunni” sees McGregor getting the job done the second time around:
“I think the second (fight) Conor will pick him apart, but I think he’ll take a little bit more time doing it,” he continued. “Diaz is a tough guy and he’s used to being in there, but he (McGregor) should’ve put him away. But I think he can if he takes his time.”
While no official confirmation has been made, reports have stated that each man has verbally agreed to the bout.
Do you see a different outcome taking place in the rematch?
Heading into his rematch with Chris Weidman at June 4’s UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has a problem with the look of the upcoming event’s poster. Rockhold will look for his title defense against former champion Weidman, whom he took the belt from by fourth-round TKO stoppage
Heading into his rematch with Chris Weidman at June 4’s UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has a problem with the look of the upcoming event’s poster.
Rockhold will look for his title defense against former champion Weidman, whom he took the belt from by fourth-round TKO stoppage in the co-main event of last December’s UFC 194, but apparently he doesn’t think that the poster portrays that side of the story too well.
The Southern California native took to Twitter today to voice his frustration at the image, noting that what appears to be Weidman’s hand should not be in the middle of the photo. One of his followers then responded about the image in question. Check it out:
What you guys think of the #ufc199 poster? The hand in the middle baffles me, needs to go.
It would seem that Rockhold is angered by the fact that Weidman’s fist is being held next to his face, portraying him as the aggressor when it was in fact him who got the upper hand of the New York native in their first fight.
The two will now clash in Rockhold’s home state, and the emotions have already been running extremely heated for Weidman, who seems hell-bent on regaining his title, especially now that MMA has been made official in New York.
As for Rockhold’s dislike of the poster, he’ll have to take it up with the UFC’s design department, similar to how Conor McGregor did when he believed he wasn’t featured prominently enough in the poster for perviously scheduled lightweight title bout against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196.
It’s not tough to understand why Nate Diaz doesn’t think Conor McGregor’s smack talk is going to be all that effective heading into their supposed rematch at July’s UFC 200, but that obviously isn’t going to stop ‘The Notorious’ from stirring the pot, and it appears he’s already getting started. With the rematch still not
It’s not tough to understand why Nate Diaz doesn’t think Conor McGregor’s smack talk is going to be all that effective heading into their supposed rematch at July’s UFC 200, but that obviously isn’t going to stop ‘The Notorious’ from stirring the pot, and it appears he’s already getting started.
With the rematch still not officially confirmed by the UFC, McGregor took to Instagram just a few moments ago to post a picture of himself slugging a bloodied Diaz with a caption advising Diaz, who won the fight by second-round submission, to enjoy his win. Check it out:
A photo posted by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on
While there’s little doubt that McGregor was indeed landing a ton of powerful punches on the youngest Diaz brother in the first round, it also became clear that the brash talk talker couldn’t sustain the pace, evident by his fading when Diaz nailed him with a perfect one-two. From there, it became a foregone conclusion that McGregor would be thoroughly handled on the ground as he was carved up by Diaz’ black belt-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills.
The result has left fans wondering why they would reschedule a fight that had such a decisive result the first time around, and obviously the issue of McGregor defending his featherweight title looms large, but the promotion understandably wants him to avenge his only UFC loss to regain the luster that made him the UFC’s biggest star.
He certainly could do just that, but starting the trash talk battle with a fighter who made submitting him look easy on days’ notice only three weeks ago may just not hold any water. Does it with you?
