UFC 196: The Celtic Cross meets The Stockton Slap

What was UFC 197 turned into UFC 196. What was Rafael Dos Anjos then turned into Nate Diaz. What was a lightweight title fight has now turned into a welterweight bout. The hectic world of MMA just never seizes to disappoints. In just four days, Conor McGregor is set to take on Nate Diaz at the main event of UFC 196 in what promises to be a compelling match up.

McGregor and Diaz face off at the UFC 196 Press Conference.

Although it has only been a week since Diaz was announced as McGregor's new opponent, there has (not surprisingly) been much animosity between the pair already. Heated exchanges had already begun just a few days later at the UFC 196 press conference with McGregor referring to Diaz as a "cholo gangster," and Diaz boldly stating that not only McGregor, but everyone in the UFC is "on steroids." However, enough of the hyper, and let's get down to the nitty gritty stuff, the fight. It is the first time in McGregor's MMA career that he takes on someone who is taller than him. Often known for his great height and reach whilst competing in the featherweight division, this is no longer the case when he steps into the cage on March 5th. Diaz will hold a three-inch height, and two-inch reach advantage over McGregor, which could be play a key part in Diaz's long fighting style, and keeping McGregor at bay where Diaz can hit, and not be hit. In his last fight against Michael Johnson, Diaz put on a boxing clinic in which he outclassed Johnson to gain a fight of the night bonus. However, standing and trading in the pocket is not only one of Diaz's best traits, he also has a magnificent ground game and slick Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to match. It will be interesting to see if Diaz does shoot for a takedown and attempt a submission, although very unlikely and uncharacteristic of his game, it is without a doubt a possibility.

Diaz calls out McGregor explicitly after his
win vs Michael Johnson in December.

For Conor, adaptation may be his biggest strength coming into this fight. McGregor has shown whilst being in the UFC that he can fight moving forwards, on the ground and also moving backwards. Just take a look at his fight versus Dustin Poirier, although it only lasted less than two minutes, McGregor maintained octagon control throughout, kept Poirier on the outside, and fought on the offense the whole fight. Then his fight against Max Holloway, the only time McGregor has never finished an opponent, but for a valuable reason, he tore his ACL during the fight. Due to this, McGregor was forced to bring the fight to the ground, as it was hard to pivot from his knee to gain punching power. Once he brought Holloway down (which he did with ease) he was able to pass his guard comfortably. That fight is one which many UFC fans forget about Conor's ground game, they seem to focus on his fight with Chad, and ignore his fight with Holloway in which he overcame versatility tremendously. Finally, I won't even need to talk about McGregor's ability to fight moving backwards, because we all saw what happened when he dropped Aldo, and that speaks for itself.

When Dos Anjos pulled out of this card with a foot injury, it felt like UFC 189 was happening all over again. However, as Nate Diaz steps in to save the show, some have argued their excitement for this card has been even more hyperbolic. How many left hand shots can Diaz absorb from The Notorious one? Will McGregor be lured in by Diaz's flipping of the bird and Stockton slapping? We will all find out on March 5th in what is set up to be another historic date for the UFC.