White spoke to the media after UFC 196’s weight-in, in which Conor McGregor looked like the cat that got the cream (or indeed, the two breakfasts).
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Nate Diaz capped off an evening of upsets, finishing Conor McGregor in the main event at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on Saturday night. He took the fight on short notice and done the job.
After trading shots in the first round, Diaz caught McGregor with big right hand in the second round that wobbled his opponent. and he pounced. Diaz then locked in a deep rear naked choke and got the tap from McGregor who was defeated for the first ever time in the UFC to shock of the packed out arena and millions watching around the world.
UFC 196 kicks off starting at 8 p.m. ET with the preliminary matches from the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas this Saturday, March 5.
The submission came after the pair traded kicks and punches, and Tate showed off her technical groundwork with a double-leg takedown before sinking the choke in the fifth round to put Holm out. Tate stayed on her and sunk in a rear naked choke. McGregor is widely expected to fight in the main event at UFC 200 in July, while Holm’s next fight was supposed to be her rematch with Ronda Rousey, who has already beaten Tate twice.
As for McGregor, he is still the undisputed featherweight champion, but his question to hold multiple belts simultaneously may have to be put on ice.
With two minutes to go though, a tunring point came when Diaz landed a one-two combination that stiffened the legs of the Irishman. 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. After beating Jose Aldo for the 145-pound featherweight title at UFC 194, McGregor was set to fight for the 155-pound lightweight title.
Conor McGregor didn’t fare well after rising up to welterweight, but still wants to win a second UFC title at lightweight.
“Listen, when you’re dealing with Conor McGregor, he’s a smart guy”. I’ll take it like a man, like a champion. That alone should give him a decisive edge, though Diaz’ style is different from that of dos Anjos.
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“These things happen. I’ll learn and I’ll grow”, he said. MacGregor has five-straight Performance of the Night bonuses, while Diaz has six Fight of the Night, four Submission of the Night and one Knockout of the Night awards. That was it, I feel.
