Conor McGregor has been saying that he is more than ready and better than ever in his anticipated rematch with Nate Diaz, who specializes in grappling and ground offense, at UFC 202. "The Notorious" says that the fight will end in a knockout, with him on the winning side.
Diaz, who currently holds a 14-8 record in UFC, caused a massive upset when he defeated "The Notorious" McGregor, who holds a stellar 7-1 record, by submission last March at UFC 196. In the bout, McGregor seemed to be the superior fighter the whole time, since he has bloodied Diaz's face to a pulp, until a takedown where Diaz got on top and went for the submission.
With their highly anticipated reunion in the octagon in August 20, Saturday, at Las Vegas, McGregor confidently says that he will defeat Diaz this time around and even best his jiu-jitsu. He even went as far to say and predict that he will knock him out in the second around, according to a report made by Fox Sports.
McGregor further stated that it was not a matter of skill that had Diaz winning in their first match. "It was not the jiu-jitsu that was significantly different between us," McGregor said in a media conference call, "but the durability, endurance, and experience."
McGregor also said that despite Diaz's favorable advantage in the ground, he was comfortable on the mat with him. After his unexpected defeat, he claims to have hired heavier and more experienced people when it comes to jiu-jitsu just to push him to the limits and exceed his previous performances. He trained himself to get used to the later rounds, just in case Diaz pins him to the ground again while he is exasperated.
While fans have been upset over the decision of an immediate rematch under fair grounds, UFC president Dana White divulged that "The Notorious" had tunnel vision over his third loss and was obsessed with wiping it out of memory, according to the Daily Star. The Irishman said that his primary motivation for the rematch was because he was able to dominate Diaz during their first eight minutes.
To sum it up, here is McGregor brimming with confidence and why he has a bright future ahead of mixed martial arts.