Conor McGregor scored the most important win of his MMA career at UFC 202 on Saturday by beating Nate Diaz via majority decision in Las Vegas.
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The final two rounds saw both fighters struggle with fatigue, although McGregor was able to continue peppering Diaz with painful jabs, whose bleeding cut above the right eye was visibly bothering him.
McGregor put on a masterclass of mixing kicks with his trademark punches in the first two rounds until Diaz threatened a comeback, which forced the UFC featherweight champion to show ruggedness that had never previously been drawn from him. He didn’t let me know.
McGregor definitely had a better game plan this fight, and he managed his energy and gas much better. Diaz chimed in on this saying that he wanted it to be at 155 pounds since the second fight, according to The Mirror.
McGregor walks away with the biggest UFC purse ever at $3 million, while Diaz gets $2 million.
“We got a lot to talk about and I’m in a lovely, handsome position right now…”
As the round wore on though, McGregor slowed and sensing an opportunity, Diaz picked up the pace, landing some good shots of his own. If you want this trilogy it’s on my terms. “I gave you [number 2]”, Diaz said in the post-fight interview.
The intense rivalry between McGregor and Diaz pushed their first fight and the rematch to astronomical levels of interest from fans across the world. Tripping McGregor in the final moments of the fight, he ended up on top, looking to catch the judges’ eyes with a strong finish. I took it to him and stayed in it and got the win so, I’m very happy.
As for Diaz-McGregor Round 3, Diaz said he’s up for a rematch whenever McGregor is ready.
“That’s what he said last time”, Diaz said.
“I’m coming for you Daniel”, Johnson said after the fight, speaking to current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who was seated near the cage.
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“I thought I won that fight, they can’t have a m**********r like me winning, I’m too real for this sport”.
