UFC 196 |McGregor vs. Diaz & Holm vs. Tate| March 5 2016

The press conference today was likely the most entertaining presser I've ever seen. McGregor is clearly half genius and half bat shit crazy.

The dude has this knack for finding his opponent's most vulnerable detail and then verbally hammering the fuck out of it. The angle of slamming Dos Anjos for being a traitor to Brazil because he lives in the US is just brilliant.

Dos Anjos was slow simmering today but there is no doubt Conor will be all up in his head before they step in the cage.

My favorite line today was "“On March 5th I will behead Rafael Dos Anjos, I will drag his head through the streets of Rio de Janeiro through a parade of people. I imagine it will also become a national holiday. Just a sign of recognizing who’s true and who’s not.”

 

Brazilians are easy to wind-up though. ::

 

Against Henderson, Pettis or Cerrone I'd give Connor a chance, but DA so thoroughly beat those 3 guys that he just seems to be too much of a beast. DA just walks through guy's shots, he's strong as an ox and skilled as well. If Connor wins this fight big, he will have surpassed what Rhonda Rousy achieved in the octagon only what he will have done will actually be historic and undeniable.

 

Fuck this McGregor vs Dos Santos shit...Holly Holm vs Miesha Tate is the one that intrigues me!

 

Dos anjos hurt

 

It's got to be re-scheduled surely?
They can't have a re-run of the 'two-week-notice' McGregor v Mendes again...

 

fuckin Brazilians

 

Exactly.
How many is this now? Three?
And with Bisping likely to be heavy favorite v Silva on Saturday....Brazilian MMA reputation is in the fockin' gutter...

The one thing Dos Anjos could not afford to to...given the Aldo cancellation and subsequent smack-talk-a-thon followed up with a 13-second wipe-out...is this.

 

He broke his foot... He called out McGregor and is probably way more pissed about this than you guys. Now McGregor can go on and call him scared... ::

 

Im way more pissed

 

Fuck sake, Dos Anjos is injured? Annoying! When will this be rescheduled for?

 

Nate diaZ

 

Nate is one of my favorite fighters, but this fight wouldn't make sense for McGregor unless he just wants to stay busy. It's a big risk / small reward thing for McGregor.

Frankie Edgar would make sense except Conor probably can't cut to featherweight on short notice.

 

Edgar is injured. Diaz it is, I was hoping my boy Cerrone would get it.

 

This should be a great fight. It will suck having to see someone lose. Nate and Conor are two of my favorite figters.

Nate might give him problems with his awkward boxing style using his height and range. He has the cardio to throw punches in volume for 5 rounds. Nate will have a huge advantage if he can get the fight to the ground. He won't gas in one round like Mendes.

Conor is still the favorite to win.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x0Ze86N21ro

press conf

 

considering the weight, i think it's an interesting fight.

 

The Timing Certainly COULDN'T Be Worse for dos Anjos...REED Thinks Conor's Psychological Warfare Took a TOLL on Aldo and the Extra Time Building this Fight Very Well Could UNdo dos Anjos, Likewise...

On the Flipside, UFC Would Be WISE to Make This THE Last Time they Throw their Cash Cow in the Cage w/a Replacement Opponent, on 2 Weeks Notice...What McGregor's Doing is BALLSY as Hell, but This DOESN'T Need to Become a Habit...More like an Interesting Footnote to BOLSTER his Already Lofty Achievements...






REED:hammert:

 

Diaz is Typically the WEAKER Man (In Terms of CORE Strength), in his Fights...If Conor Has ANY Type of Strength ADVANTAGE Over Diaz (in the Clinch, Grappling, etc.,) he'll Win w/Out Much Fuss...

Honestly, McGregor Should Pull a dos Anjos by HANDICAPPING Diaz's Lower Body...Punish his Lead Leg, Render Him Helpless and Beat his Ass...

If Diaz Doesn't Prove to Be STRONGER or Garner Anything from his Perceived Advantage in LENGTH, it's Gonna Be a Looooooong Night for Him 1nce Again....






REED:hammert:

 

McGregor won't want to grapple with Nate at all. Conor is improving on the ground, but Nate submits high level BJJ black belts. I'm guessing Nate won't have the strength and wrestling ability to get the fight to the ground unless he hurts him first.

Nate did a better job of checking the leg kicks in his last fight. I'm not seriously picking him to win, but this is a closer matchup than most people think.

 

I think Diaz will win this one. McGregor is good, but his style is really dependant on him having a big strenght, power and size advantage. At lightweight, he wont necessarily have these advantages, or at least to a much lesser extent. Diaz has a good enough chin to take Mcgregor power, imo, and he shoukd overwhelm him in the later rounds with his better boxing and his great workrate

 

If Diaz does win this, it's a massive derailment for McGregor.
The bubble will be burst and aura totally gone.

 

He doesn't need to do it. Especially when Nate Diaz brings a complete different fighting style. I bet Conor didn't put much emphasis on striking but more on takedown defense to prepare for dos Anjos. This is basically him saying I don't need a preparation for Diaz even after moving up in weight. Risky as hell. He looks much thicker and stronger than Diaz at the staredown though, so I don't think he'll have a physical disadvantage.

Still very dangerous though. You just have to applaud the guy for not letting his fans down. Numerous champions have done otherwise.

 

Conor is an investment that they are protecting. There are way too many big money fights out there for him to risk fighting anyone with an actual chance of winning on such short notice.
That’s why Diaz is the perfect opponent. He’s a ‘name’ with no real chance of winning or doing any real damage that would keep Conor off of UFC 200.


TFK

 

Nate at welterweight is a bigger challenge than almost everyone Conor has beaten so far. He's not RDA, but he has a real chance of winning this.

 

I love Meisha Tate and she's one tough girl but she's going to lose this one. She can't beat Holly.

I'm hoping for a good fight with at least one time they are locked in a 69 position on the floor.