The main event at this weekends upcoming UFC event is something that fight fans have been pining for, yearning for. A guaranteed stand-up “slug fest” between the best in the world at 145lbs, and arguably the toughest & most well-conditioned fighter currently active.
First of all, I’ve never been a Conor fan, even going way back to his relatively unknown “Cage Warriors” days, and especially the last 3years in the UFC. I very much appreciate the fighting spirit which he embodies. Always learning, always growing as a fighter and a martial artist, he truly is a student of the human body and of human movement, but he’s a dick…
His unique style and technique have enabled him to absolutely dominate every opponent put in front of him….. but Nate Diaz, as Conor likes to say about himself, is a “whole different animal, …a different ballgame”…
Nate Diaz is arguably the most well conditioned and most durable fighter in the entire UFC, let alone out of McGregor’s adversaries. Diaz has been boxing at an extremely high level for over half of his life now, since he was at least 15yrs old, under the tutelage of Richard Perez. Not only that, but he’s a black belt under Cesar Gracie, and an extremely dangerous MMA jiu-jitsu practitioner with a history of submission victories. An area in which, although he would probably disagree, McGregor is relatively unproven.
Up until this point, and even for the originally scheduled Dos Anjos fight, Conor McGregor has faced significantly smaller opponents, and done so under not the most desirable of circumstances for them… :
🔹 He had about a year to get into Aldo’s head, which he did. In addition to the whole Brazilian steroid scandal, and as Joe Rogan pointed out, he just did not look himself. He looked physically “deflated”.
🔹 Mendes is a beast, but he also took the fight on super short notice, and his natural cardio ability is nowhere near the level of Diaz. Although very strong and muscular, Mendes is far smaller than Diaz or McGregor.
🔹 Siver, although powerful, experienced, and dangerous, was again much smaller than Conor. Also, I believe Siver was compromised by his past PED use which eviscerated his ability to recover from a disorienting shot.
🔹 Porier is nothing special. He’s just another journeyman fighter with a weak chin, and so-so technique.
🔹 Max Holloway was the last one to challenge McGregor and take him to a decision. Albeit because Conor’s ACL was blown-out.. But, in addition to that, Holloway possesses very crisp boxing with a long frame, much like Diaz, minus the power and volume Diaz is capable of. Lastly, again, back to the size matter. McGregor again had a significant size advantage.
The hype of Conor McGregor is causing fans and analysts to severely underestimate the grit, the toughness, the cardio, and the readiness of Nate Diaz. In all reality, Nate has an excellent chance of choking Conor out or snapping one of his appendages, but the flash and excitement behind Conor is cloaking that possibility. Let’s not forget, Nate Diaz has stood up and gone the distance with fighters like Rory MacDonald and RDA, fighters known for their knockout prowess and elite striking ability.
Regardless of what your opinion, or the opinion of your favorite analyst may be, this fight will undoubtedly be interesting and exciting in a multitude of different aspects. Not to mention the insane amount of fanfare for a fight with an opponent chosen less than 2 weeks prior to fight night…
Ladies and Gentlemen, this will be a good fight. A fight for the ages.
Bigfoot_716 