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…
Heading into the much anticipated UFC 196 this weekend, one fighter stands with probably the biggest opportunity for gain, the celebrated women’s bantamweight title contender, Miesha Tate. The coveted bantamweight belt has seemed out of reach for T…
Heading into the much anticipated UFC 196 this weekend, one fighter stands with probably the biggest opportunity for gain, the celebrated women’s bantamweight title contender, Miesha Tate. The coveted bantamweight belt has seemed out of reach for Tate for several years after her 3rd Round submission loss to Ronda Rousey at UFC 168 in December 2013. With Rousey’s shocking defeat at the hands of new girl Holly Holm at UFC 194, the door suddenly opened wide for Tate.
A victory against Holm, while obviously being difficult to achieve, could be the launch pad for a new era in Tate’s successful career. She is currently on a four fight win streak, which she believed had earned her another shot at Rousey. Her last loss was actually against Rousey at UFC 168. But the UFC and Dana White were wary of putting Tate against Rousey for the third time (she also fought and lost to Rousey in Strikeforce).
But she could cap this win streak with a championship belt. And she has been focused on everything a victory could bring from the moment Holm’s head kick shattered Rousey’s perfect record and the MMA world. In an interview with MMAInterviews.tv she said,
“When Holly beat Ronda I thought immediately I have to be next in line . . . I’m going to get to win a world title in front of millions of people . . . I’m really glad that things have worked out the way that they did, and I think that 2016 is going to be my year.”
Winning the bantamweight title is obviously a dream of Tate’s, but she is uniquely poised to capitalize on this opportunity. The mere fact that Rousey has been defeated will give Tate the psychological edge and game plan to potentially defeat Rousey in a title defense. So a win against Holm could propel Tate to multiple title defenses and a chance to erase in many people’s minds her career defining moment, double losses to Rousey, and replace that negative moment with the more permanent, positive image of a belt around her waist.
Defeating Holly Holm will be no mean feat. Tate is two inches shorter and gives up four inches in reach, which plays right into Holm’s strengths. However, Tate has recently shown a patient determination to wear down opponents and go the distance. Although Tate is known for her submission game, all of Tate’s last 4 victories have come via Decision. She will not be the predictable raging bull that Rousey was, walking into Holm’s well timed punches and elbows.
Tate’s stand up game is slightly better than Rousey on paper, according to UFC’s official stats. Rousey technically lands a higher percentage of punches (52% to Tate’s 47%) but throws considerably less punches (213 to 447 respectively). What is important, however, is the different styles of their stand up. Tate has landed 56% of her strikes while standing, whereas Rousey delivers the majority of her strikes while in the clinch, a position hard to achieve against Holm. While standing and trading with Holm is not advisable, Tate will be far more comfortable on her feet than Rousey was. And Tate believes her standup game has developed tremendously in recent years, but she can still get to ground and go to war in the trenches.
“I don’t think that my fight has to be pretty, it just has to be effective . . . I have a tendency to turn fights into dogfights and to drag people into deep water if I need to.”
To seize this opportunity, Tate will have to use her determination and creativity to patiently work inside Holm’s guard and shoot for takedowns. She will also have to match the cardio of Holm, especially if the fight goes all 5 rounds.
The buildup has been respectful and Tate’s focus has been razor sharp.
“The woman that stands in front of me is Holly, and she deserves 110% of my respect . . . you saw what she did to Ronda. I think to take my eye off the prize for one second would be a huge mistake on my part, and as a veteran I refuse to make that mistake.”
Overcoming the champion was never going to be easy, but if anyone can do it, it’s Miesha Tate.
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 fans won’t get what they were originally promised at March 5’s UFC 196, which will go down at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the masses seem to be overly joyed with what we have now received. After lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of his bout with featherweight kingpin Conor McGregor, brash
Although fans won’t get what they were originally promised at March 5’s UFC 196, which will go down at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the masses seem to be overly joyed with what we have now received.
After lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of his bout with featherweight kingpin Conor McGregor, brash and outspoken bad boy Nate Diaz stepped up on just over a week’s notice.
McGregor and Diaz, two of the sport’s most highly touted trash talkers, have had some bad blood in the past, specifically when Diaz went on a rant about the Irishman after his UFC on FOX 17 victory over Michael Johnson.
The Stockton native repeatedly called the “Notorious” one out, and Diaz obviously has gotten what he’s wanted.
The two men met face to face at a press conference in California yesterday, going back and forth in epic war of verbal attrition.
While that frenzy probably did enough to hype up fans for the fight, the UFC has continued to promote the short notice bout with two official UFC 196 promo videos.
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!
