Written by Josh Gross at The Guardian.com
As combinations go, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are combustible. The fighters’ collective efforts proved that point once more on Saturday night, as McGregor exacted a measure of revenge at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas by taking a majority decision over Diaz in one of the most compelling main events in UFC history.
The result evened their head-to-head record at 1-1, and teed up a lucrative trilogy-making contest when the time is right.
The two fighters took away record purses from their UFC 202 main event clash (McGregor earned a guaranteed $3m and Diaz $2m). They earned every penny over the course of a 25-minute war of attrition that tested the acumen of the judges and frayed the nerves of fans around the world.
“Surprise, surprise! The king is back!” McGregor said. “If you want this trilogy, it’s on my terms. I came up to 170 [pounds], now you’ll come back to 155 and we’ll finish what we’ve started. I knew what I had to do this time around and I did it.”
Win or learn. That was the mantra put forth by McGregor, the UFC featherweight champion, after Diaz surprised him in March by holding firm against an onslaught of punches before turning the tide and finishing the smaller Irishman with a rear-naked choke.
Judges Jeff Mullen and Derek Cleary saw the brawl 48-47 in favor of McGregor, siding with him in the first, second and fourth rounds. Glenn Trowbridge had it 47-47 due to a 10-8 round for Diaz in the third. The Guardian judged the contest 48-47 for Diaz, giving him the second, third and fifth rounds.
Regardless of how the bout was tallied round-by-round, the energy expelled by both men made it an inspiring and exhausting experience.
After falling short in the spring, the onus was on McGregor (20-3) to adjust against a naturally larger opponent who possessed edges in experience and durability, and whose skills were potent enough to make him a mainstay in the Octagon for the last decade.
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