Unless you live under a rock you would’ve heard by now that Conor McGregor will be facing Nate Diaz at UFC 196 on March fifth in the Welterweight division.
The original opponent for McGregor, Rafael dos Anjos, pulled out of the fight with a foot injury. This makes it the fourth time a fighter has pulled out of a fight with McGregor under the UFC banner. So far, 50 per cent of Conor’s opponents ended up backing out.
Nate Diaz is a extremely interesting test for McGregor for a lot of reasons.
The height and length here will be factor for Conor. Diaz fights very long, especially for the Lightweight division. In the fight against Michael Johnson this past December, Diaz had a significant size advantage over Johnson.
This is an important factor worth noting in this fight. Diaz is a big, tall and lanky man for Conor to face on short notice. Come fight night Diaz will posses a clear size advantage, especially with the fight taking place at welterweight.
Diaz is also a really good boxer. While McGregor will still have the advantage here due to his movement and power. Diaz is no joke on the feet. He’s more of a volume striker who pressures his opponents. This could be his downfall in the fight, with McGregor’s power. But it could be an advantage, if McGregor is unable to get the finish.
Diaz’s chin is world class. In 28 professional fights Diaz has only been finished once from strikes. He was knocked-out by Josh Thompson from a high-kick that could’ve rocked most of the UFC roster.
This is the most intriguing part of this match-up. Diaz’s chin is remarkable and one of the best in the game. He’s fought some of the best in the world in both lightweight and welterweight. If McGregor is able to get the finish then the power Conor has is legitimate at any weight division.
Diaz clear advantage in this fight is his submission game. Overall, 11 of Diaz’s 18 wins have come by way of submission. Diaz is an underrated grappler and we should expect to see this being used to his advantage at some point throughout the contest.
Diaz has the ability to finish any man with his submission game, especially being a black-belt under Cesar Gracie. He trained with Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields and brother Nate Diaz throughout the years.
Nate is world-class grappler and this shouldn’t be overlooked.
A lot of people are writing off Nate Diaz here. They are saying the UFC is once again protecting Conor by not putting in Tony Ferguson or Khabib.
I think Nate Diaz is the perfect opponent for Conor. He’s ranked number five at lightweight. He has excellent boxing and submissions. His chin is among the very best in the game.
If Conor goes in there and stops Diaz in impressive fashion. On short notice or not that is an amazing thing to add to his resume. Your chin doesn’t need training.
How will Conor’s power transcend into the heavier weight-classes?
I’m still upset by Dos Anjos having to pull out. Will McGregor have the power to finish Diaz?
If he does then look out people. Conor McGregor’s power is legitimate across three weight-classes.
I can’t wait to find out
Follow this writer on twitter @matthewmyersmma
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