McGregor, the UFC featherweight champion, defeated Stockton’s Nate Diaz via majority decision in a welterweight bout in the main event of UFC 202 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
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The “Notorious One” came blazing out the gates using good leg kicks and crisp combinations at a measured pace to control the fight in the opening rounds. I’m the 145-pound champion and the 155-pound (division) is there.
After five bloody rounds, McGregor emerged on top, named victor by majority decision (48-47, 47-47, 48-47) to once again claim bragging right over his despisedrival. The fight went to the ground for the only time in the closing moments when Diaz finally dragged McGregor down, but it was too late. “I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t want to see this fight again, but Conor’s either going to go defend his title or give his title up and then we’ll figure out where to go from there”.
McGregor hasn’t defended the UFC Featherweight Championship since unifying it at UFC 194 last December. One thing he doesn’t ant the Irishman doing, though, is taking another fight, especially not a title unification fight against Jose Aldo.
Just like Diaz, McGregor was just as adamant that a trilogy must happen between the two in the future.
If McGregor and Diaz are going to have a third fight to complete the trilogy, it could be a while.
Diaz hit the deck twice early in the second round but McGregor declined to take the fight to the mat, signalling for Diaz to get up. That toughness and durability that he has crept back in during the later rounds but I feel happy to come away with the win.
But it all may be moot.
Diaz on his plans to not fight again until he gets a rubber match with McGregor: “Whenever they’re ready to rock”. They tried to say if I lose this one, I’m done. I came up, I didn’t make any excuses to get this win back. “It’s hard for me to get excited about that (a rematch)”. “Look at Nate’s purse tonight, look at the first fight, look at everyone’s game has gone up money wise and I helped do that”. He didn’t let me know.
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McGregor might want to defend his 145-pound title against Jose Aldo, who got beat by McGregor a year ago.
