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Conor McGregor suffers shock defeat to Nate Diaz

“These things happen. I’ll learn, I’ll grow”. It didn’t work out.

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As for the weigh-in itself, McGregor weighed in at 155 lbs., while Diaz, a late substitute for the injured Rafael Dos Anjos, weighed in at 169 lbs.

Diaz kept the pressure on as he moved forward, throwing punches in bunches and eventually his shots started to land.

Diaz took advantage, working to full mount and landing several big punches. “I took a shot, I went at it – I feel I was simply inefficient with my energy”.

“I’m not surprised, (expletive)”, Diaz shouted after having his hand raised in victory.

“I figured it would probably go something like that with a little less damage”.

“My jiu-jitsu is always there for when we get to the ground, but my boxing is what usually gets the fight there”, he said.

The challenger came out firing in the final round, needing a knockout to be assured of the title – Tate took Holm down for the second time, and this time she was able to lock in the choke and force the submission.

Round two saw Tate bring the fight to Holm as she landed a takedown, followed by some ground and pound.

Moments later, the Las Vegan was the new champion.

In the beginning of the match, Holm looked calm as she used her distance and range to keep Tate on the end of her punches and kicks, launching a series of kicks to the body and legs to her opponent.

“I had to be like a pitbull on a bone”, she said. “I couldn’t let go of it”.

The loss ended McGregor’s 15-fight winning streak since November 2010 and put a blemish on the loquacious Irish face of the UFC. “She’s capable of catching anyone at any time”.

It reminded me of when I fought Kurt Pellegrino (in 2008).

The fifth round brought considerable urgency to the fight, with Tate forcing the issue and taking a few hits, including a left straight to the face. “I think he stays at 170 if he wins tomorrow”.

The Brazilian also claimed in a tweet that: “This guy are very luck I got hurt” [sic], but it was quickly deleted.

McGregor will scoop many millions for tonight’s fight thanks to his cut of pay-per-views but it is the fee of $1m just for fighting that is record breaking.

Nunes is 5-1 in the UFC with three first-round finishes. Tate was ready and applied the rear-naked choke, and held on as Holm fell backwards to try and defend.

Light heavyweights Corey Anderson and Ilir Latifi won unanimous decisions on the main card.

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