UFC 196 -- Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz: Inside the numbers
A look inside the numbers of the McGregor-Diaz matchup at UFC 196.
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2 min read
Conor McGregor makes his highly anticipated return to the Octagon on Saturday to take on Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at UFC 196 in Las Vegas.
Diaz took the fight on short notice after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of the fight with a foot injury and will get his wish of taking on The Notorious One, which he has been angling for since December.
McGregor is the heavy favorite (-450) against Diaz (+325) with just days left before the fight. The two fighters come in with different styles and have, to this point, fought at different weight classes.
We're going to go inside the numbers for this matchup to see where the advantage lies for each fighter as we near fight night.
5 -- The number of consecutive fights Conor McGregor has ended by way of knockout, all by punches, with three of those victories coming in the first round and two in the second round. His most recent, and only, decision victory came against Max Holloway in 2013.
17 -- Of McGregor's 19 career victories, 17 have finished with knockouts by McGregor. If this fight takes place with both fighters on their feet striking, McGregor will have the clear advantage as the superior striker. Diaz has just four career wins by knockout, most recently a first round knockout of Gray Maynard in 2013.
1 -- Diaz has 10 career losses, but only one has been by knockout. He has a tough chin and prefers to take fights to the ground. McGregor's power will be a new level, but if Diaz can take some shots and extend the fight to later rounds that will be a good sign for the underdog.
11 -- The number of submission victories by Nate Diaz. This is where the style difference is most notable; McGregor has only won once by way of submission -- a rear-naked choke victory over Dave Hill in 2012 while fighting in the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship -- while Diaz is a submission artist.
Diaz has the superior technique on the ground as a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and if he can find ways to take down McGregor, then he will take the advantage. McGregor's only two career losses came by way of submission, most recently to Joseph Duffy in 2010, also in the CWFC.
170 pounds -- The move to welterweight is significant for both fighters. McGregor fights normally at 145, and was preparing for his first move to lightweight (155 pounds) before the change to Diaz. Diaz fights at 155 and asked for the fight to take place at 165, but McGregor insisted on it being at the full welterweight limit.
How both fighters handle fighting at the heavier weight class will be crucial to the outcome. Speed and quickness is a key element for both, McGregor using superior hand speed and footwork to strike and Diaz using quickness for takedowns and ground work. Whichever can handle weighing significantly more in the Octagon than usual will very likely determine the victor.
