McGregor and Diaz – two men that love a good fist fight on a Saturday night.
If Conor McGregor threw the kitchen sink at Nate Diaz for UFC 196, this time he threw an entire marble-floored kitchen. The only difference was that McGregor took his time about it.
The Notorious was on the brink over another second round defeat after appearing to run out of steam in the final minutes. He didn’t panic, though, got to the next round and looked to have fully recovered as he won the fourth round and gritted it through the fifth.
At the final buzzer, both men embraced and teetered on their feet whilst the T-Mobile Arena crowd acclaimed them.
Conor McGregor battles through thick, thin and exhaustion to avenge his first UFC defeat https://t.co/pmWjiDNjQw
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 21, 2016
It was no surprise, then, given the five-round war that both men shared in the Fight of the Night bonus [taking home an extra €50k each].
In doing so, McGregor becomes the first UFC fighter to earn a post-fight bonus in seven consecutive fights.
The streak started with his victory over Diego Brandao, in Dublin, and has included five performances of the night bonus and two for Fight of the Night [both against Diaz]. The only fight McGregor did not receive a bonus for was his unanimous decision win over Max Holloway, during which he ruptured knee ligaments.
It won’t be much consolation to him now but Diaz also set a new record with his Fight of the Night accolade:
Nate Diaz sets a new record for most post-fight bonuses in UFC history with 15. What a fighter.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) August 21, 2016
The two men will surely face off again within the next couple of years so expect more bonuses, and massive PPV numbers.
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