This Saturday night in a new purpose built fighting arena in Las Vagas the most eagerly anticipated rematch in UFC history goes down.Conor McGregor aka 'The Notorious' faces Stockton's own rags to riches Nate Diaz. The original fight in March grossed 1.2 million pay per views which was a record for a single fight card. Mcgregor had been the leading earner in the UFC for years but was called out by Diaz last December who up to then had been earning peanuts with the UFC. He finally got paid some big bucks and served up a loss to the UFC's golden hen McGregor. Mcgregor has vowed to get Nate on the Forbes rich list by the end of the year. The fight lived up to the billing and was an enthralling encounter. Mcgregor dominated the first round and a half but was clipped with a straight left in the second round. It was the first time that he had been hurt and stunned in a fight. Normally his chin is like cryptonite not cryptocurrency. Mcgregor who had dominated the division at 145 lbs stepped up to 170 lbs to fight Nate who was called to at late notice and could not make a cut to 155.It remains to be seen if indeed Mcgregor has bitten off more than he can chew.
What takes athletes like McGregor to the top is an obsession to their sport. He has confessed to being insane to his craft which is martial arts. What makes McGregor so compelling and unmissable is this obsession combined with a sharp,funny and cutting Dublin wit. Diaz questioned whether McGregor goes to bed at night thinking of him at yesterdays pre fight press conference. He certainly thought that the posters of him hanging in McGregors, 'built from scratch' Gym were freaky. I think what Nate doesn't realise is that McGregor's obsession with him has left him on his mind every waking hour. An intrusive thought entering his prefrontal cortex with no escape passage but to perform a rep of some description. Mcgregor has spent up to 300K on this fight camp flying in sparring partners and his whole team to Vagas. A record for an UFC camp.The pre fight press conference was a war of water bottles. Mcgregor lauching retaliation strikes from the stage to Nate and his Stockton goons exiting the venue. Mcgregor has dug the grave a little wider and longer for the taller,heavier and rangier Nate who he describes as ' a skinny fat Mexican'.Shall he have his vengeance?I am not sure but we will be certainly entertained.