The current king of fight promotion is ramping up his talk leading into UFC 202, which takes place Aug. 20 in Las Vegas. Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz took part in a pre-fight conference call. Not surprisingly, it was McGregor who claimed the vocal spotlight.
He started by crediting his opponent Nate Diaz:
“I did not give enough credit to Nate’s durability and his experience. He has more fights in the UFC than I do [total] fights. Also, [you have] his height and his range and his reactions, and I gave no respect to that. For the first two rounds, he was a heavy bag — and I was correct in [thinking that] — but his durability held out. I’ve been preparing for that, and I feel very confident that I can put this man away.”
He went on to point out what will be different this time:
“I’m going to be a lot more prepared for a man who will stay in there with me. I believe I will repay the favor and KO him inside the second round.”
Analysis: McGregor says he will KO Diaz. OK, fine. After all, he boasts seven wins in the UFC and six of them have resulted in TKO/KO stoppages.
Pop quiz: How many times has Nate Diaz been knocked out in TWENTY-NINE career fights?
Answer: Once (By Josh Thomson on 4-20-2013. Must have been a bittersweet day for the younger Diaz brother.)
Chael Sonnen once said if you go for the knockout and don’t get it, you will lose the decision every time. McGregor’s strategy seems ill-suited to his opponent. However, “The Notorious One” hasn’t reached his current level of popularity by making safe choices. At less than two-weeks away I can’t wait to see how this fight plays out.
(*Quote transcription from Sherdog.com)
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