Nobody thought Nate Diaz would defeat Conor McGregor at UFC 196 – and that includes Floyd Mayweather’s best bud, Justin Bieber.
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It’s unclear what’s next for McGregor, however the 27-year-old said at the post-fight press conference he thinks he will drop back down to 145 pounds for his next bout and defend his featherweight title – either in a rematch with Aldo or against top contender Frankie Edgar.
It was a significant shock as the American was most certainly the underdog ahead of the welterweight bout.
I’ve fought [Nate Diaz].
Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo, whom McGregor knocked out in 13 seconds at UFC 194 in December, also took a shot at McGregor following his loss to Diaz.
The Irishman went up 25 pounds to face Nate Diaz, but bit off more than he could chew, and fell to a second round submission.
Had McGregor won, he would have been the first fighter in the UFC to hold two belts at the same time.
“If you’re exhausted of me talking money, take a nap”, McGregor added.
“I think that Nate beats Conor McGregor…” S*** happens. I’ll take this loss like a man. When he saw that Nate Diaz was still walking forward, still throwing shots and landing them, I think mentally it broke Conor. I’m not saying everybody should be Conor McGregor (that would be obnoxious as all hell), but I’m saying they could stand to go out on a limb more. This was the kind of stuff that only grows the UFC legend, as evidenced by the deafening roars of the sold-out crowd of 14,898 as Diaz finished both McGregor and the night off at the MGM. Diaz easily stuffed it and took McGregor on a ride to Submission City, where he joined Holly Holm in somberly remembering that jiu-jitsu is no fucking joke.
One thing White does know is that the UFC’s version of mixed martial arts has found a sweet spot in the world of combat sports that should only grow over time.
Many fans wondered what weight this fight would be fought at. Meanwhile, Nate Diaz has now enhanced his drawing power considerably, Miesha Tate is a marketable new champion and even UFC 199’s double title-fight line-up of Daniel Cormier Vs Jon Jones II and Dominick Cruz Vs Urijah Faber III gives plenty of reason for optimism that the promotion can continue their recent run of success.
“He will be a champion for the rest of his life and no one can take it away from him”, James said Monday. “That’s what’s going to happen”, he said.
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For 4 1/2 rounds, Holm appeared to be winning her first fight since she dethroned Rousey with a stunning head-kick knockout.
