UFC 202: 8 Things You May Have Missed From Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II
UFC 202: 8 Things You May Have Missed From Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II
All eyes of the MMA world were on the rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz at UFC 202
The UFC 202 main event produced one of the best fights of the year so far with Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor going at it for 25 action-packed minutes inside the Octagon.
No doubt your eyes were glued to the screen throughout, but did you pick up on all of these finer details to the story?
After the fight, Nate Diaz made it perfectly clear he wasn't happy with McGregor's new jiu-jitsu coach Dillon Danis and called him a 'traitor' to his country for working with the Irishman.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767990848525045760" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Video has also emerged of Diaz saying something to Danis after the fight and potentially even flipping the bird at him. Yesterday on The MMA Hour, Danis confirmed to Ariel Helwani that the two had exchanged words and that would even be prepared to fight him under MMA rules.
McGregor made a lot of very obvious changes of Saturday night but not all of them were quite as obvious as some of the others.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/SandhuMMA/status/767478287941664768" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
After the fight, someone on Reddit MMA posted a side-by-side of McGregor's Octagon walk at UFC 196 and his Octagon walk at UFC 202.
It's clear to see that at UFC 202, McGregor chose to leave out the showmanship and the signature silly face that he pulls to the camera. Instead, last Saturday night it was all business and he remained focused as he walked to the Octagon.
While his Octagon walk may have lacked the usual playfulness, McGregor's entrance into the Octagon was hilarious.
After all the 'Conor McGregor heading to the WWE' headlines over the last few weeks it was a funny visual to see McGregor walk into the Octagon like Vinny Mac himself.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767722453472870401" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Was McGregor just trying to keep his arms loose or was he seriously emulating the 'Billion Dollar Strut'? Only McGregor knows the answer to that one.
Dillion Danis and John Kavanagh both told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour last evening that Nate Diaz was trash-talking them while the fight was happening.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXJjdNjtOx/" hide_caption="0"]
Kavanagh recalled that at one point, Diaz gave him some choice words about where he should stick his game plan when he was reminding McGregor to remain focused on the strategy they'd devised.
One of the most talked about aspects during the build-up to the fight was how McGregor had switched up his training partners ahead of the rematch with Diaz.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJYdrBdhSe-/" hide_caption="0"]
Back in March, McGregor's was accompanied to the Octagon by his head coach John Kavanagh, his striking coach Owen Roddy, Artem Lobov and the legendary Ido Portal.
Last Saturday, McGregor switched up the team with BJJ world champion Dillon Danis and Irish boxer Conor Wallace replacing Portal and Lobov. It will be interesting to see who will be there next time McGregor enters the Octagon.
At the end of the fight, Joe Rogan was obviously just as anxious to know the result as anybody in the crowd or sitting at home and watching.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767994677081563136" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
If you look in the background of the video above, you can see Rogan taking a peek at Bruce Buffer's card before the final result is read out. He later confirmed on his podcast he agreed with the 48-47 McGregor score.
Speaking after the fight, Conor McGregor said that he'd thrown more leg kicks in the fight on Saturday night than he had ever done before.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767993365598134272" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Take a look at his ankle and you can see why he's been suspended for six months pending a doctor's clearance. McGregor said in the post-fight presser after that he only felt like he injured his shin, however, his coach John Kavanagh did later confirm he was carrying an ankle fracture heading into the fight.
In all of the hysteria of the bottle throwing, middle fingers and insults it's easy to think that the Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor are the worst of enemies. The embrace between the two at the end would suggest things a little different though.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJZqgrJhnls/" hide_caption="0"]
After Diaz took McGregor down in the final few seconds, the Stockton-native helped the Irishman back up off the floor once the fight was finished. McGregor could also be heard saying to Diaz shortly after that he thought it was one of the best fights ever. No doubt there is a growing mutual respect between the two of them.
No doubt your eyes were glued to the screen throughout, but did you pick up on all of these finer details to the story?
#1 - Nate Diaz throwing shade at McGregor's coach Dillon Danis
After the fight, Nate Diaz made it perfectly clear he wasn't happy with McGregor's new jiu-jitsu coach Dillon Danis and called him a 'traitor' to his country for working with the Irishman.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767990848525045760" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Video has also emerged of Diaz saying something to Danis after the fight and potentially even flipping the bird at him. Yesterday on The MMA Hour, Danis confirmed to Ariel Helwani that the two had exchanged words and that would even be prepared to fight him under MMA rules.
#2 - McGregor's different demeanor during his walk to the Octagon
McGregor made a lot of very obvious changes of Saturday night but not all of them were quite as obvious as some of the others.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/SandhuMMA/status/767478287941664768" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
After the fight, someone on Reddit MMA posted a side-by-side of McGregor's Octagon walk at UFC 196 and his Octagon walk at UFC 202.
It's clear to see that at UFC 202, McGregor chose to leave out the showmanship and the signature silly face that he pulls to the camera. Instead, last Saturday night it was all business and he remained focused as he walked to the Octagon.
#3 - The Conor McMahon entrance into the Octagon
While his Octagon walk may have lacked the usual playfulness, McGregor's entrance into the Octagon was hilarious.
After all the 'Conor McGregor heading to the WWE' headlines over the last few weeks it was a funny visual to see McGregor walk into the Octagon like Vinny Mac himself.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767722453472870401" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Was McGregor just trying to keep his arms loose or was he seriously emulating the 'Billion Dollar Strut'? Only McGregor knows the answer to that one.
#4 - Nate Diaz trash talking McGregor's corner during the fight
Dillion Danis and John Kavanagh both told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour last evening that Nate Diaz was trash-talking them while the fight was happening.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXJjdNjtOx/" hide_caption="0"]
Kavanagh recalled that at one point, Diaz gave him some choice words about where he should stick his game plan when he was reminding McGregor to remain focused on the strategy they'd devised.
#5 - Team McGregor switched up the fight night lineup
One of the most talked about aspects during the build-up to the fight was how McGregor had switched up his training partners ahead of the rematch with Diaz.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJYdrBdhSe-/" hide_caption="0"]
Back in March, McGregor's was accompanied to the Octagon by his head coach John Kavanagh, his striking coach Owen Roddy, Artem Lobov and the legendary Ido Portal.
Last Saturday, McGregor switched up the team with BJJ world champion Dillon Danis and Irish boxer Conor Wallace replacing Portal and Lobov. It will be interesting to see who will be there next time McGregor enters the Octagon.
#6 - Joe Rogan couldn't wait for the result
At the end of the fight, Joe Rogan was obviously just as anxious to know the result as anybody in the crowd or sitting at home and watching.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767994677081563136" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
If you look in the background of the video above, you can see Rogan taking a peek at Bruce Buffer's card before the final result is read out. He later confirmed on his podcast he agreed with the 48-47 McGregor score.
#7 - McGregor's swollen foot
Speaking after the fight, Conor McGregor said that he'd thrown more leg kicks in the fight on Saturday night than he had ever done before.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/767993365598134272" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Take a look at his ankle and you can see why he's been suspended for six months pending a doctor's clearance. McGregor said in the post-fight presser after that he only felt like he injured his shin, however, his coach John Kavanagh did later confirm he was carrying an ankle fracture heading into the fight.
#8 - There was some nice sportsmanship at the end between the two of them
In all of the hysteria of the bottle throwing, middle fingers and insults it's easy to think that the Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor are the worst of enemies. The embrace between the two at the end would suggest things a little different though.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJZqgrJhnls/" hide_caption="0"]
After Diaz took McGregor down in the final few seconds, the Stockton-native helped the Irishman back up off the floor once the fight was finished. McGregor could also be heard saying to Diaz shortly after that he thought it was one of the best fights ever. No doubt there is a growing mutual respect between the two of them.