Getty UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor trains during an open workout at his gym on August 12, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With the UFC postponing events until April 18 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus global outbreak, fans and fighters have been reminiscing about older fights. And one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts has revealed the most important fight of his life.
UFC superstar Conor “Notorious” McGregor took to Twitter and posted:
UFC 202: McGregor Vs Diaz 2 on @btsport now!
Incredible fight!
The most important of my life.
When the second fight between Nate Diaz and Notorious was replayed on BT Sport on March 29, McGregor tweeted, “UFC 202: McGregor Vs Diaz 2 on [BT Sport] now! Incredible fight! The most important of my life.”
UFC 202 took place in August 2016 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and it was a heated rematch between the two fighters. Going into the fight, Notorious was coming off a submission loss to Diaz at UFC 196, five months before their rematch at UFC 202.
McGregor dug deep during the fight and defeated Diaz by majority decision.
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Conor McGregor Fought Nate Diaz for the First Time at UFC 196 & Lost the Bout
After winning the featherweight title at UFC 194 by a 13-second knockout of the longtime champion Jose Aldo, McGregor moved up two weight classes to welterweight and fought Diaz at UFC 196.
McGregor was initially supposed to move up to lightweight and fight the champion at the time, Rafael dos Anjos. But dos Anjos broke his foot a couple weeks before the March 5, 2016 event and had to pull out of the fight.
Nate Diaz, who called Notorious out after his impressive victory over Michael Johnson in December 2015, was the replacement opponent for McGregor. Because of the short notice, the bout took place at welterweight.
The two met in the middle of the Octagon during the main event of UFC 196 and Notorious dominated the first round and a half. But McGregor gassed out near the end of the second round, and after getting hit with a couple of clean strikes from Diaz, McGregor shot for a takedown.
However, Diaz, who is a blackbelt in BJJ, dominated McGregor on the ground and submitted the exhausted Irishman by rear-naked choke.
The Rematch at UFC 202 Went to a Controversial Judge’s Decision & McGregor Got His Hand Raised
Five months later, the UFC ran the fight back. McGregor was adamant that he wanted a rematch against Diaz at welterweight, and the two fought at UFC 202.
The fight was a five-round war, with both men gaining the upper hand at multiple points during the bout. The match went to the judge’s scorecards, and the fight was ruled in favor of McGregor by majority decision. The decision was not without controversy, however, as many viewers scored the fight in favor of Diaz.
Calls for a trilogy fight between the two have been made for years. Both men are 1-1 and a third fight would determine the winner of the long-running rivalry.
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Conor McGregor Reveals the Most Important Fight in His UFC Career