UFC 202: As Conor seeks vengeance, Nate aims to eradicate the McGregor era once and for all.

The wait is finally (almost) over.  This coming Saturday, at the T-Mobile Arena, Nate Diaz will face Conor McGregor in what is undoubtedly one of the most eagerly waited, and tough-to-call rematches in UFC history. Cliché? Heard it all before? Yes, well, at the end of the day, it is McGregor who is fighting, so I should at least get some leeway on this one!

The pair get under each other's skin in an interview
on the Jay & Dan show prior to UFC 196.
Credit: Jay & Dan Podcast

Now don't worry, I won't ramble on for long about the magnitude of this re-match, as simply, there is no need too. However, what was impressive to me was not the fact that Nate beat Conor on eight days’ notice (yes of course that's notable in its own right) it was the fact in which eight days was all it took to break "all of" the UFC's records on one Saturday night. 

A press conference, and a couple interviews on some "Tim and Suzie nobody gives a fuck morning shows" to make 196 the biggest PPV in UFC history.  The Stockton style? The McGregor effect? Choose your pick.

Speculation has been drawn to the pairs last outing in which concludes down to one question: Did McGregor gas out? To answer this, we can look at two different approaches, from two very well respected trainers. Firstly, John Kavanagh who (surprise surprise) is McGregor's coach at SBG Charlestown and secondly, Firas Zahabi who is head coach at Tristar Gym in Montreal.

Just two days after Conor's first UFC defeat - Kavanagh told Ariel Helwani he had "never seen Conor breath that heavy before." This doesn't come as a surprise though. 'Exhaustion' and 'inefficiency' were the two words used by coach and fighter to describe the key components of Conor's downfall mid second round to the Stockton native.

McGregor and Coach Kavanagh feel exhaustion was the main factor in his loss,
however Firas Zahabi thinks otherwise.
Credit: Esther Lin - MMAFighting

On the flip side, Zahabi's pre-fight analysis of the match-up is somewhat a great contrast of Kavangh's. "McGregor did not get tired" Zahabi firmly states. "The one-two from Nate" adjoined with the psychological effect of Diaz not hitting the deck, like Conor's previous opponent's after the "big left hand shot," was what lead to his loss. "You're crazy" if you think it was his cardio.

Playing the devil's advocate in Firas' assessments is not often an easy role to take up. However due to the fact the fight was at welterweight, a weight in which McGregor had never competed in, a justifiable counter argument to Zahabi's strongly thought out analysis does seem clear. Conor himself stated he was eating steaks, rice and even ice cream for god sakes, in the lead up to this fight. A great quote from Kavanagh prior to UFC 196 was "You've seen him on salads watch what happens when he's on steaks!"

Left picture: UFC 194 Weigh In - vs Aldo at 145 pounds
Right picture: UFC 196 Weigh In - vs Diaz at 170 pounds
Credit: Esther Lin - MMAFighting

Packing on all that lean muscle mass (which is evident in before and after pictures of McGregor) can play a crucial role on one's cardiovascular fitness. Which, supporting Kavangh's theory, may of lead to Conor being exhausted by the end of the first. 

Scrap that all now. Because the pairs first fight was almost five months ago, so the talk of the town should be there upcoming one, not their first outing. 

A lot of changes have been made by McGregor’s camp in preparation for this re-match. Most notably is (for the first time ever) they are preparing for a specific opponent. Last minute pullouts have been a common theme of The Notorious' hectic schedule. But confident in the fact Diaz will (fingers crossed) show up on Saturday in one piece, the SBG camp have brought in guys from all over the world to emulate Nate's southpaw style. Dillon Danis - a multiple world time BJJ champion, and Conor Wallace - a six-time All-Ireland boxing champion are examples of this.

Don't get me wrong, the fact that two of the most charismatic showmen in the UFC are about to stand toe-to-toe, and create a twenty first century war is appealing, but it is not the key contributor in what makes this fight so special. We have seen re-matches on the grandest stage of all in the UFC - for example St Pierre vs Serra 2, Aldo vs Mendes 2 - and they just don't live up to the bill as the unpredictability is not there. A clear favourite is set and most usually, they always prevail as the victor. 

Not in this re-match though. Fans are split fifty-fifty, down the middle in their picks, half saying Diaz shows off his octagon experience again, and will overwhelm Conor with his endless skills wherever the fight may go. The other half predicting there is no way Nate escapes the Celtic cross for the second time. 

Saturday night, we will find out which half's prediction is fulfilled!

Will Ovince break bones? Or will Jon be crowned “And New.”

Freaked out, afraid. The three words Jon Jones used to describe the hit and run ordeal in which he was involved in last year. Interestingly enough, next Wednesday (April 27th) marks a year in which the "worst 16 seconds of my life" occurred for Jones. Nevertheless, the whole situation has felt like a "blessing" for Bones in which he described in detail to Ariel Helwani as they took a long walk through Albuquerque and discussed the accident last November.

However, the bad times are in the past for the pound-for-pound number one, and this Saturday at the MGM, he will be looking to flip the tables as he faces the explosive athlete in Ovince Saint Preux. Of course this was never the original plan heading to UFC 197's main event. As Daniel Cormier withdrew coincidentally on April 1st, to many fans disappointment that this wasn't an April Fools', citing a foot injury. With many 205-pounders already booked to fight in the near future, it was #6 ranked OSP who got the call to face Bones for the interim belt at 205.

P4P #1 Jones has kept in great shape
for this fight camp.

Jones, who has never looked in better shape for a fight, last fought all the way back at UFC 182 in which he handed his biggest adversary Cormier his first MMA loss of his career. With razor sharp Muay Thai, and gritty Greco-Roman wrestling, Bones will be looking to come out this fight clean as he has already mentioned he's "willing" to fight at UFC 200. Although, it is certainly no-easy task to say the least as he will have to get through a powerful stand up fighter with heavy hands in Saint-Preux. Funnily enough, the last time fight plans for UFC 200 were being made in the lead up to a fight did not end the way many expected. That was last month at UFC 196 in which Nate Diaz handed Conor McGregor his first loss in the UFC and proves once again the unpredictability of this great promotion.

You wouldn't think the top two pound-for-pound fighters were fighting this weekend would you? With all the controversy surrounding the recent statements made by the notorious one, it has overshadowed the thrilling card in which UFC 197 sets out to be on paper. That's because the co-main event of the evening features yet another title fight, this time in the flyweight division. Arguably the most dominant champion of UFC history, Demetrious Johnson, takes on Olympic gold medallist, Henry Cejudo, in what promises to be a compelling bout matchup between veteran and newcomer. Mighty Mouse has single-handedly cruised through every challenger that he has faced in the UFC, so enigmas have to be raised whether Cejudo will become the odd one out, or just another fallen victim to DJ's immense technique.

Both Segio & Anthony Pettis have trained
with Jones for this fight camp, all three
fight this Saturday at UFC 197.

Tomorrow's nights intriguing match-ups do not stop there. Prior to the co-main event, taekwondo specialists Anthony Pettis and Edson Barboza will face off in a bout the could go down one of two ways; an amazing fight, or an horrendous fight. Linking back to Pettis' latest defeat against Eddie Alvarez in which many fans were not impressed in the manor Alvarez won the fight as expectations were dampened on by reality. Two middleweights both on four-fight winning streaks will collide as Robert Whittaker looks to put on another impressive performance against BJJ black belt Rafael Natal. Finally, the on to watch is the lightweight bout that kicks starts the main card. Two unorthodox, diverse stand up artists in Yair Rodriquez and Andre Fili clash and look to both provide an impressive performance to set up a strong start to this highly anticipated card.