Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz: The first fight relived

By Damon Martin
(Design: Heidi Roller)

THE LEAD-UP

Conor McGregor wasn't even supposed to fight Nate Diaz the first time they faced off.

It was UFC 196 back in March, and McGregor was originally scheduled for a showdown with Rafael dos Anjos, along with an opportunity to add the lightweight title to his trophy case. But an injury forced dos Anjos out of the fight with less than two weeks to go until show time. Ultimately it was Diaz who got the call to face McGregor after they agreed to meet at 170 pounds in a special attraction bout with nothing more than bragging rights on the line.

The UFC scrambled to put together a last-minute press conference to promote the fight, but what happened next was unexpected, even by the gaudy numbers McGregor usually pulls in for every appearance he makes with a microphone in front of his face. At one point during the verbal clashes between McGregor and Diaz, over 360,000 fans were watching live on YouTube, which just proved the enormous interest in this fight even if there was only a matter of days between contracts being signed and stepping into the Octagon.

"Everyone else went running. So Nate, congratulations — you're rich now. You did it," McGregor taunted Diaz during the press conference.

"He's like a little gangster from the hood. He makes gun signs with the right hand and animal balloons with the left hand."

It was clear after that press conference was over that the UFC certainly made the right call giving Diaz the fight with McGregor, and a week later they were both in Las Vegas going through final preparations to meet in the Octagon.

Before they would throw down, the fighters first met in another press conference to answer questions from the media alongside the co-main event featuring Holly Holm and Miesha Tate. McGregor and Diaz answered the bulk of the inquiries from the reporters on hand while jabbing each other back and forth with all kinds of insults.

Even their training partners weren'€™t safe during these exchanges as McGregor took aim at Diaz's teammates and the Stockton, Calif., native fired back while making fun of the Irishman's use of a "movement coach" in the lead-up to their fight.

"You're playing touch butt with that dork in the park," Diaz said.

When the press conference ended, McGregor and Diaz squared off for the second time in a week, but this time things got physical. McGregor slapped Diaz's hand away from his face and what started as a typical pre-fight pose for the cameras nearly turned into a full-blown brawl. Security intervened and members from each of the fighter's camps had to be restrained, but it was clear the rivalry between McGregor and Diaz was very real and very volatile.

THE FIGHT

McGregor had stated numerous times that he anticipated putting Diaz away in the first round with a vicious knockout. McGregor's reputation for calling his shot had reached almost legendary status at this point, after predicting a second-round TKO over Chad Mendes and a first-round finish against Jose Aldo —€” both of which came to fruition.

As the first round got underway, it was clear McGregor wasn't waiting for the knockout to happen —€” he was going to make it happen.

Right out of the gate, McGregor was charging forward with big, hard punches, unleashing his signature left hand while head-hunting Diaz. McGregor's left had put away a number of his past UFC opponents, but he used that weapon as a finishing maneuver after setting up the knockout with crisp, technical boxing. This time there was none of that. McGregor wanted to lop Diaz's head from his shoulders, and so he started lunging into his punches like he was trying to throw a blazing fastball.

McGregor even started throwing a series of spin kicks, which he had talked about ahead of the fight, but with each kick, he came up short of Diaz's head. As the first round continued, Diaz circled away while McGregor constantly threw a steady diet of right hands, followed by a big looping left behind it. One shot finally opened up a cut over Diaz's right eye, and the blood started trickling down his face. McGregor saw red and used the blood like a target as he fired off more shots, trying to inflict further damage.

Diaz did manage a quick takedown before the end of the round, but McGregor was able to reverse positions against the cage while raining down shots from the top until the final horn sounded.

ROUND TWO

As the second round got underway, McGregor seemed to finally find his range after swinging and missing a lot of his biggest shots in the first five minutes. McGregor started to uncork left hands followed by right hands this time, and he was landing with a lot more precision but noticeably less power. Diaz weathered the storm while staying strong in the pocket, firing back straight punches and lightning-quick jabs.

After one flurry of punches, McGregor dropped his hands for just a second, and it was like a signal that shifted the momentum in the fight. Diaz knew that wasn't a sign of frustration — it was a sign that the Irishman was getting tired. For the first time all fight, Diaz became the aggressor, and he was the one pushing forward with punches.

The stances soon reverted back, with McGregor stepping forward, but he was eating a series of right hands from Diaz while his head was no longer moving on a pivot —€” instead staying stationary and directly in front of his hard-punching opponent. McGregor tried to overwhelm Diaz every time the two fighters began firing away at each other, but he made a crucial mistake while backing straight out of the pocket following one particular exchange.

Diaz fired a hard left-right combination while McGregor was in reverse and the second shot stung him hard. Smelling blood in the water, Diaz pressed forward and his volume of strikes increased exponentially while trying to follow up on the first punch that truly had McGregor wobbled. Diaz continued his assault until he pressed McGregor against the cage, trapping his head against the featherweight champion's chin before firing off a series of short left hands that battered the Irishman's face.

The fighters separated and McGregor charged forward with one last gasp, trying to put together a combination to force Diaz to back away.

It didn't work.

THE FINISH

Instead, Diaz blasted him with another crushing combination of punches, including a right hook that staggered McGregor followed by a straight left that put the 145-pound king on rubber legs. It was the beginning of the end, and the mystique around the unflappable Conor McGregor was starting to crumble.

Following that exchange, McGregor went for an ill-advised takedown. Clearly hurt from the punches, McGregor's attempt to put Diaz on the ground was more about survival than actually trying to take advantage of a position. Diaz —€” a high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt — grabbed onto McGregor's neck as he looked for a guillotine choke almost immediately after the half-hearted takedown attempt. Knowing he was in trouble, McGregor rolled out of the choke and then found himself in an even worse position —€” Diaz was mounted and throwing down punches looking for the finish.

McGregor wasted no time rolling to his left, trying to avoid the damage from Diaz's shots but instead gave up his back. Diaz saw the opening, threw one more punch and immediately wrapped his arm under McGregor's chin before cinching up on the rear naked choke. McGregor grimaced, his eyes shut, and a second later he tapped Diaz's arm. The fight was over.

At 4:12 into the second round, the stoppage came.

"I'm not surprised, (expletive)," Diaz shouted to a raucous crowd in Las Vegas.

Now, five months later, McGregor and Diaz will do it all again.