Mere months after a 14-second knockout which saw him claim the UFC featherweight title, Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon seeking a newer, heavier challenge. Moving up 25 pounds to take on late replacement fighter Nate Diaz, could the Irish sensation continue his dominance, this time as a welterweight? Also, could Holly Holm continue her reign and remain perfect as a professional as she defended her newly acquired women’s bantamweight title against perennial contender Miesha Tate?
Diaz Rear Naked Choke Stuns McGregor
Curiosity got the better of Conor.
Fighting a whole two weight classes above the division he ‘killed’, Conor McGregor finally ran into the proverbial wall in the form of Nate Diaz. In Diaz the Irishman faced a tough southpaw boxer with a reach superior to his own, but it was on the ground where McGregor suffered the first defeat of his UFC career.
The fight started well for McGregor. Body shots, uppercuts and his famed left hand bloodied Diaz, but the Stockton native, notorious for his cardiovascular endurance and durability, refused to wilt under his adversary’s attack. The tide turned quickly in the second frame as Diaz started to find his range. For the first time inside the Octagon someone was getting the better of the featherweight champion. Smelling blood Diaz dragged the fight to the ground, and from there the fight was pretty much over. A decorated black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Diaz ghosted his way through McGregor’s guard before taking the back and sinking in a choke which left the Irishman little choice but to submit.
Credit must be given to McGregor. It would have been all too easy for him to pull out of the event entirely in the wake of his original opponent’s late, late withdrawal, but instead he remained willing to fight. The loss does legitimise claims by many that McGregor is a fighter with a long way to go before he can be considered a complete mixed martial artist, and to be defeated by a fighter stepping in on less than two weeks notice, the loss must be considered an embarrassment for the champion.
Nate Diaz won’t care about any of this however. Always in the shadow of his famous older brother Nick, he finally has a signature victory of his own; one that will go down as a historically significant upset.
‘Cupcake’ Chokes Out Holm To Seize Title
Miesha Tate has always been considered one of WMMA’s all-time greatest competitors, but now she has the hardware to back it up. Grappling and a never-say-quit mentality were essential to ‘Cupcake’s’ success as she choked Holly Holm unconscious deep in the fifth and final round to become the new women’s bantamweight champion. Weary and highly respectful of their respective strengths, the two fighters engaged in a close battle with Holm relying on keeping the distance to score, and Tate looking for openings to shoot for takedowns. Both found success with their chosen gameplan with Holm dominating the striking with well-placed counters and head kick attempts, while Tate managed to take the contest to the ground in the second where she almost finished the bout with several choke attempts.
Entering the final round it appeared that Holm was on her way to a close and hard-earned decision victory, but Tate had other ideas. Securing her second takedown of the fight the challenger quickly scrambled to the back and ensnared the beleaguered champion with a rear naked choke. Desperate to escape, Holm tried to throw Tate over the top but the attempt was unsuccessful. Squeezing with every ounce of strength remaining Tate continued to choke until Holm faded out of consciousness, leaving official John McCarthy no choice but to halt the bout in the challenger’s favor.
A crowning achievement in the long career of Miesha Tate who will now likely face her nemesis Ronda Rousey for the third time later this year. For the UFC the upset win will be a nightmare considering they were banking on the Holm/Rousey rematch being a huge cash cow fight.
Latifi Overcomes Villante In Close Contest
Repeated takedown attempts and tactical counter striking proved key to Ilir Latifi’s success as the Swedish fighter claimed a unanimous decision verdict over New York-based slugger Gian Villante. Hoping to negate the Swede’s knockout power and wrestling Villante opted for a multilevel kicking game but was ultimately unable to keep this going as Latifi closed in for takedown attempts in each round. The Serra/Longo-trained Villante initially found success in keeping the fight standing, probably thanks to his long training with revered wrestler and former champ Chris Weidman, but as the bout progressed he found it increasingly difficult to deny Latifi’s grappling. All three judges awarded three rounds to Latifi who will likely now move into the rankings thanks to his third consecutive victory.
Anderson Survives Early Scare, Edges Lawler
Wobbled early thanks to a hard and well placed right hand, Corey Anderson recovered well to earn a unanimous decision over his upset-minded veteran opponent, Tom Lawler. Clearing the cobwebs following the early assault, Anderson connected with strikes of his own in the second and soon had the fight turned around after securing a takedown in the third and final round. Bigger and stronger than Lawler, Anderson claimed all three rounds with two judges despite the slow start and should now be set for a charge at the division’s elite following his third straight triumph.
‘Lioness’ Nunes Too Much For Game Shevchenko
A slow and tentative start cost Valentina Shevchenko dearly as he dropped her first fight inside the Octagon to top 5 contender Amanda Nunes. Taking advantage of her opponent’s unadvisable start, the Brazilian Nunes dominated the first two rounds with her striking and grappling, almost finishing a bloodied Shevchenko in the second with ground and pound and neck crank and choke attempts in the second frame. Nunes has a history of gassing however and the Kyrgyzstan-born kickboxer came on strong in the final round with hard elbows and a takedown of her own. Nunes survived the late onslaught however and took the judges nod to continue her campaign for a future shot at the title.
UFC 196 Main Card Results:
Women’s Bantamweight
Amanda Nunes def Valentina Shevchenko via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Light Heavyweight
Corey Anderson def Tom Lawler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight
Ilir Latifi def Gian Villante via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Miesha Tate def Holly Holm © via submission (rear naked choke) in round 5
Welterweight
Nate Diaz def Conor McGregor via submission (rear naked choke) in round 2
Event Awards:
Best Fight: Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor
Best Finish: Miesha Tate
MVP: Miesha Tate
What did you think of UFC 196? Leave your comments and analysis in the comments section below!
No comments:
Post a Comment