There, Diaz landed ground and pound, got into mount, took McGregor’s back and tapped him out with a rear-naked choke.
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“(McGregor) punches hard”, Diaz said.
The Irishman was taken down late in the first round, but switched things round to end the round on top. The 30-year-old Diaz returned from a year-long layoff in December to best Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 17. McGregor was the major favourite to clinch an easy win in this one, but within seconds into the fight, it was evident that Diaz was more than up for the challenge.
White went on to say that Rousey did not watch the fight but upon hearing the result told him, “looks like I’ve got to get back to work”. Mostly people seem shocked. The KO was the Kick heard around the world and instead of waiting out an entire year for a rematch with Rousey, she opted to fight the tough and durable veteran Miesha “Cupcake” Tate. Fans of McGregor have been flocking to Vegas all week to see their champ live against rival smack talker Nate Diaz in his first fight at welterweight.
McGregor (19-2) is actually the 145-pound champion and he was schedule to take on Rafael Dos Anjos for the 155-pound in this fight, but RDA pulled out a week ago with a broken foot and the UFC inserted Diaz.
“Then all of a sudden he was shooting for a takedown and I was like ‘Oh, you’re a wrestler now!’ Remember I’m the black belt in jiu jitsu, and you’re shooting on me now? I couldn’t let her get out of that one”, said Tate.
Holm appeared to be winning her first fight since she dethroned Ronda Rousey with a stunning head-kick knockout in November for one of the sport’s biggest upsets. However, the reality of the difference in weight classes is that only McGregor’s charisma and star appeal made him the favorite going into this fight – otherwise the numbers were stacked against him. “She’s capable of catching anyone at any time”.
The other rounds saw Holm dominating the fight, leaving Tate in desperation mode especially in final five minutes. So I knew I had to play it patient.
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Amanda Nunes was the victor in her Women’s Bantamweight fight with Valentina Shevchenko.
