3 of the best Conor McGregor fights, 1 of the worst
By Anwesha Nag
2. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 - UFC 202 (August 2016)
Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz 2 - UFC 264 Full FightConor's bounced back from a loss before! Can he do it again at #UFC264??
Posted by UFC on Friday, July 2, 2021
Nate Diaz did what seemed impossible at that time by handing Conor McGregor the first loss of his UFC career. Needless to say, the Irishman sought out revenge against the younger Diaz brother. What followed was an intense mind game between the two, paving the way for one of the most fabled rivalries in combat sports history.
Both known for their ability to get under their opponent's skin, McGregor and Diaz raised the stakes for the rematch with an incessant back-and-forth. The tension inevitably came to a boiling point at UFC 202.
The feud for the history books culminated as the two met again within five months. A charged-up T-Mobile Arena crowd had hoped to witness a barnburner. McGregor and Diaz did not fall short of their expectations.
The welterweight battle went on for five rounds, as McGregor adopted a noticeably different approach for this fight. Instead of going for the killer shot straight away, he was seen executing a myriad of leg kicks, punches, elbows, and even knees against Diaz.
Such a display of grit was never seen before from McGregor. Throughout his MMA career, he had finished almost everyone he faced well within the first or second round. He had outclassed Max Holloway in the only fight that went to a decision. But that was before he fought the pride of Stockton.
The two warriors fought tooth and nail until the very end. Conor McGregor clinched away the victory this time with a majority decision. One of the three judges scored the bout 47-47, while the other two scored 48-47 each.
Somewhere between the walkout and the final bell, they both seemed to have gained each other's respect in the fight. McGregor and Diaz continue their on-again-off-again feud occasionally on social media to date. But at the moment, a blood-smeared Nate Diaz embracing Conor McGregor inside the Octagon was a literal embodiment of what the sport is all about.
Nate Diaz is now out of the UFC and preparing for a boxing match against Jake Paul. But even then, the Diaz-McGregor trilogy remains one of the most anticipated fights in MMA.