You might have expected a stunned silence.
You might have expected the hordes of Conor McGregor fans inside the cavernous MGM Grand Garden Arena here in the Nevada desert to fall silent as their hero was vanquished by Nate Diaz.
You might have expected a funeral, but instead we got the visceral roar of fight fans satisfied by a devastating finale.
This grand venue was rocking – possibly as heavily as it did back in December when McGregor stunned the world with his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo.
In a city that knows a lot about odds, the Dubliner was seen as the closest thing possible to a sure thing.
The plan was clear. Conor McGregor was going to continue his trip towards UFC domination, taking out a short-notice welterweight opponent along the way.
UFC 200 is just four months away. He was going to either get his lightweight title shot against Rafael dos Anjos or there existed the genuine possibility that he would take on Robbie Lawler for the 170 lbs crown. Hell, a super-fight against the returning Georges St-Pierre was even in the discussion.
And while making considered plans pays off in most facets of life, there’s simply no place for them in MMA.
Because all it takes is that one shot, that one slip-up in a scramble, and poof, the momentum is gone.
The UFC found that out the hard way over the last six months.
Ronda Rousey was the first to fall, she was the face of the promotion. The future superstars came tumbling after when Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt both suffered defeats.
The only cash-cow remaining was McGregor and he was the most profitable one that the UFC could ever have dreamed of.
This isn’t to ponder on why McGregor lost on Saturday night – it could be that he underestimated Nate Diaz, it could be a lack of energy conservation as he hinted at in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
This is just a reminder about what makes the sport exciting.
What happened in Las Vegas this weekend is the most stunning example of what MMA is all about and, as unfortunate as it is to see a fellow Irishman fall, the upset is the reason why we love the sport.
Anything can happen on any given night. That’s why MMA math never works, the whole “he beat him which means he can’t be beaten by that guy.”
Nate Diaz was a 4/1 underdog to become the first man to beat ‘The Notorious’ in the octagon.
But oddsmakers, apparently, don’t know shit.
We should live for these moments. These all-too-rare times when you feel like anything’s possible.
Diaz’s win should be celebrated for what it is, a glorious exhibition of some of the most important elements of mixed martial arts.
You'd expect the atmosphere to be dead but it's oddly jubilant around. A lot of Diaz supporters in attendance tonight
— Darragh Murphy (@DarrMurphy) March 6, 2016
Striking, grappling and, possibly most impressively, toughness were all on point for Diaz in Las Vegas and that got him the victory in the second round.
There’s a very good reason why none of the greats ever go undefeated and that’s due to the fact that everybody slips up. Most people slip up multiple times. We’re human!
What one can only hope is that this doesn’t turn into what happened to Rousey because the shit storm that she faced after being knocked out by Holly Holm last year is something nobody, celebrity or otherwise, should have to live through.
McGregor will be back, of course he will, but it would be very narrow-minded to only love this sport when you, or your guy, is winning.
Diaz’s success should be celebrated the same way that McGregor’s previous victories, or those of any other fighters, have been.
Anything can happen on any given night and that’s what makes this sport we call mixed martial arts so very beautiful.
There are no sure things in Vegas, that’s why this city can celebrate Diaz, and that’s why the Grand Garden Arena vibrated to a victory that was felt around the world.
