Sober Reflections: UFC 202
UFC on FOX, YouTube
As fight fans, we become accustomed to those match ups that never seem to live up to the hype.
You might know the type.
The ones where water bottles get thrown, tempers flare at press conferences, and fighters throw tantrums to try and leverage a second installment of a bout that didn't really leave any questions unanswered the first time.
Perhaps you know the type?
UFC on FOX, YouTube
But a funny thing happened at yesterday's UFC 202. The rematch between Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz didn't just live up to hopeful expectations, it surpassed it's predecessor in ways that make the very word hype seem obsolete.
What we got in yesterday's main event was a clash between two highly charismatic antiheroes who gave the fans an excellent demonstration of what the fight game is all about. In short, it was a gift from the Fight Gods -- and one that we will likely be talking about for many days, if not weeks or months to come.
Unlike the first go-round between the two, we would not be given a definitive finish. McGregor eeked out a razor-thin victory over Diaz in a majority decision that prompted some fans to even call it fixed.
We, of course, couldn't resist.
Dana White to the judges.
But any way you cut that fight, it was close. Just look at the breakdown of the stats below.
UFC Pick' Em, UFC.com
Which is further deconstructed at FightMetric.com.
FightMetric.com
Now, let's compare those stats to the ones given on the UFC Fox Sports 1 after show.
UFC on FOX
As you may see, there is a slight, and some might call it subtle, variance in exactly how that fight may have been perceived -- which makes all the world of difference in razor-thin decisions. It also shows exactly how important each significant strike became in the final decision.
So, no, I do not think it's easy to render a verdict a match and, yes, during the telecast I had it scored for Diaz. However, I wouldn't go as far as to say McGregor didn't inflict damage or possibly do enough to merit a strategic win that was spaced out by points in individual rounds (rather than the feel of the entire fight).
But all of that is kind of irrelevant when you consider the caliber of the fight we got:
UFC on FOX, YouTube
And in this spectator's humble opinion, each fighter got the chance to shine. The 25-minute-war saw a drastic improvement in McGregor's wrestling defense and offensive strategy (his use of leg kicks proved to be a significant game changer) that tested his resolve all the way into championship rounds, while Diaz survived some early initial knock downs only to rebound with the type of dirty boxing up against the cage that likely gave a majority of McGregor fans a great pause.
You hope all main events can be this entertaining, but they often are not. That is why it's all the more important to give the fighters their due before deconstructing the fight down to the most minuscule of details. Because given the relative close nature of the fight (and the impassioned fans on both sides of the equation), the third match-up isn't so much of an inevitability as much as it is a demand. At this point, the fans are going to need some closure to a rematch they kinda didn't even ask for.
But among many of the discussion points going forward, here are a few:
UFC on FOX, YouTube
- UFC President Dana White says that unlike last time, there will not be an immediate rematch between Diaz and McGregor.
- McGregor also indicated that he will push to make the third match at 155.
- Diaz, said he was disappointed in the fight result and didn't want to make any excuses, but definitely came into this fight injured (he said they had video evidence of it as well) -- citing his knee and ribs as just part of the major injuries that took him out of training camp weeks before the fight.
- Will fans take McGregor's tactical retreats mid-round -- when he would disengage and literally turn his back on Diaz -- and ascribe the same criticism they did to Floyd Mayweather?
- Speaking of Mayweather, McGregor teased big things are in the future. Does that mean Mayweather? Or is he just fucking with Dana White some more?
- How much does Diaz go out of his way to make adjustments to his wrestling now having seen McGregor build up a solid cage defense to it?
- Does Conor want to stay out of 170 now that he's seen how much his normal rate of fight effectiveness seems to gas him out during critical moments of a fight?
- Did Diaz lose some critical game-time help when his brother was banned from being cageside?
- Should Diaz have gone back to his tequila diet before this fight?
- WHO THE FUCK SCORED THAT 47-47?
Having said that, even though he was bummed out by the loss, there was no better post-fight interview than this one with Diaz.
And, gaving said all that, I spent a good portion of the night live-tweeting my reactions to the fights on Twitter. Here are some I thought you might enjoy.
See this Instagram photo by @verbaltapcast * 94 likes
That'll do it for this installment of Sober Reflections. Should you want to hear more of my initial reactions to last night's fights, you can check them out in the Facebook live video I did immediately after UFC 202.
Let me know what you guys thought of last night's fights in the comment section below:
Taking #ufc202
Posted by Verbal Tap Podcast on Saturday, August 20, 2016