UFC 196

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UFC 196 Preview


UFC Fight Night 196: McGregor vs. Diaz
Saturday, March 5th – 10:00 p.m. ET
Las Vegas, Nevada
Conor McGregor (19-2-0) vs. Nate Diaz (19-10-0)
Five Round Welterweight Bout


Line: McGregor -390, Diaz +295


Conor McGregor takes on Nate Diaz in Las Vegas at UFC 196.


Conor McGregor has quickly become the face of UFC. The Dublin, Ireland native’s last defeat came back in 2010, and he has since rattled off fifteen straight victories, including a 13-second drubbing of Jose Aldo this past December to win the UFC Featherweight Championship. While he was looking forward to fighting Rafael dos Anjos in this bout, the Brazilian backed out of the fight due to a broken foot. Instead, he will take on Nate Diaz. The California native has an unspectacular record and has lost three of his last five fights, so it would be a stretch to say that this fight remains nearly as attractive as it was before dos Anjos pulled out. Nevertheless, Diaz could seize the unexpected opportunity and bring McGregor down from his position atop the UFC world.


McGregor is a very aggressive fighter, something that can be seen from the fact that 89 percent of his victories have come via knockout or TKO. He lands 5.53 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy of 44.72 percent, and absorbs 3.02 such strikes per minute while defending them at a 64.24 percent clip. The Irishman has attempted 1.92 takedowns per 15 minutes throughout his career with a stunningly high accuracy of 83.33 percent, while defending takedowns at a 66.67 percent rate. He has yet to have a submission attempt in his 21 MMA bouts.


Diaz pales in comparison statistically, as he lands 4.3 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy of 43.24 percent. He absorbs 3.29 significant strikes per minute and defends them at a rate of 56.7 percent. Diaz averages 1.21 takedown attempts per 15 minutes at a clip of 30.77 percent, and only defends takedowns at a 44.44 percent rate. Unlike McGregor, however, Diaz has averaged 1.51 submission attempts per 15 minutes.


Other UFC 196 Bouts & Odds


Welterweight Bout:
Siyar Bahadurzada +270
Brandon Thatch -350


Women's Bantamweight Bout:
Miesha Tate +250
Holly Holm -330

[TheGame]

Re: UFC 196

UFC 196 betting preview: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
By MMAODDSBREAKER


The main event of UFC 196 is a heavily-anticipated welterweight match-up between UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor and former lightweight title challenger Nate Diaz.


The brash McGregor was scheduled to face UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos for his belt, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the fight last week due to a foot injury. In his place will be the fan favorite Diaz, who beat Michael Johnson in impressive fashion this past December.


Conor McGregor (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC, -440 favorite)


Conor McGregor has become the biggest male draw in mixed martial arts, as his fame and popularity have skyrocketed over the last three years. The Irishman has done everything he has said he would do, including defeating longtime champion Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 194 in December 2015.


The 27-year old is an offensive juggernaut with an impressive arsenal of punches, kicks, and knees. His attacks are very unpredictable, as his opponents never know what is coming. Like most great strikers, McGregor can fight going forward and going backwards. His hands, especially his straight left and left uppercut are deadly. He will lull his opponents into a false sense of security and then explode on them with vicious multi-punch combinations.


Kicks are also a key aspect of McGregor’s game. Spinning back-kicks, side-kicks, jumping switch kicks, front hook kicks, and wheel kicks are just some of the techniques he employs.


His ability to get his opponents to move where he wants them is tremendous. There may not be a fighter in the UFC that has a more varied striking attack than McGregor. Additionally, McGregor is very good at working his opponent’s body, which pays dividends in the later rounds.


Defensively, he can be hit but his chin is rock solid and no opponent has been able to hurt him on the feet. Heavy-handed Chad Mendes hit him with several hard punches and he did not flinch.


McGregor’s weakest area is on the ground, but by no means is he as bad on the canvas as some people think. His offensive wrestling is above average; he can hit double and single-legs in open space and is adept at catching kicks and gaining top position. McGregor’s takedown defense is serviceable but not impenetrable. However, he has good hips and is adept at creating space and scrambling back to his feet. His only UFC fight that he got taken down in was against Mendes, and he fought him with a torn ACL.


One of McGregor’s strongest attributes is his self-confidence and demeanor. Taking a fight against a fighter that was supposed to be his kryptonite (Mendes) on two weeks’ notice with a torn ACL shows how strongly he believes in himself. He is great at getting inside the head of his opponents, which causes them to fight emotionally. However, he did not have much time to play mind games with Diaz because the fight came together on short notice.


Nate Diaz (18-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC, +350 underdog)


Longtime fan favorite Nathan Diaz looks to earn the biggest win of his career by defeating UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 196. Diaz has had his ups and downs throughout his UFC career, but he enters this matchup on a high note. The brash Californian defeated top 10 lightweight contender Michael Johnson via unanimous decision in a December contest that was awarded “Fight of the Night”.


There are not many fighters on the UFC roster that are capable of exciting fans in the same manner as Diaz. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, Diaz relies heavily on his boxing game while on the feet. He throws a stiff jab and straight left hand, which he often throws in combination.


While he is not the most powerful striker Diaz’s high volume and accuracy allow him to accumulate damage over the course of a fight. Kicks are not a big part of his game, but he does throw a few leg kicks to mix things up. Movement is not one of Diaz’s strong suits, as he employs a flat-footed approach. This has been problematic for him against fighters with exceptional movement and speed. Like McGregor, Diaz has been able to get into the head of his opponents, which takes them out of their game and gives Diaz an edge.


While Diaz is known for his boxing attack, he also shines when the fight goes to the ground. He has one of the better guards in the lightweight division, as he has very dangerous submissions from his back. Seven of Diaz’s thirteen UFC victories have come via submission, including a whopping six by either guillotine or triangle choke.


The problem for Diaz is that he does not have good enough wrestling to get the fight to the canvas on a regular basis. Furthermore, his takedown defense has not been the greatest throughout his career and he has struggled against strong grapplers that were able to stifle his submission game. Conditioning is not usually an issue for Diaz, but he has tired in fights that he did not adequately prepare for.