UFC 196 was a night that reminded the world that MMA is a sport where anything can happen. And in the main and co-main events, the unexpected occurred on the biggest stage - in the most thrilling ways possible.
It was one of those nights that reminded you why you love the sport in the first place. Let’s recap from a betting perspective.
STOCKTON CONQUERS DUBLIN
Closing Odds:
Conor McGregor -515
Nate Diaz +400
Round 1 played out pretty much as expected, with the more powerful McGregor battering and bloodying Diaz with stinging straight lefts and sweeping lead uppercuts. But despite the beating he took in the first round, Diaz’s renowned cardio, durability and boxing proved to be the differencemaker in the second.
A crisp 1-2 buckled from Diaz McGregor late in Round 2, and from that point on Diaz lit the featherweight champ up with his infamous Stockton slaps - prompting him to shoot for a desperation takedown. True to his Renzo Gracie roots, Diaz carved McGregor up with his world-class BJJ and locked in a rear naked choke for the victory.
How did Diaz pull it off? For starters, McGregor had trouble finding his distance. While he connected plenty of times, there were plenty of punches that whiffed and even more that landed on Diaz’s arms and elbows. He also had to punch upward because of the height discrepancy, causing him to expend more energy. This was in stark contrast to every one of his featherweight fights, where he’s been the rangier fighter.
McGregor also either overlooked Diaz’s durability, overestimated the power in his left, or some combination of both. The Notorious One later admitted in the post-fight press conference that his punches didn’t have the same effect on a 170-pound fighter. On top of that, Diaz is notoriously tough to put away, having only been knocked out once in a long career facing the best guys in the world.
The outcome looked very much like a typical Diaz victory where opponents find early success only to wilt under the relentless volume and pace. The Diaz brothers are one of the few fighters on the roster that have truly weaponized their cardio, and there are few things more thrilling than watching them employ their death-by-a-thousand punches strategy.
TATE THE GREAT
Closing Odds:
Holly Holm -360
Miesha Tate +295
Can we turn “Lawler” into a verb? Because Miesha Tate straight up Lawler’d Holly Holm on Saturday. By that, I mean she rallied in the last round to snatch victory from the jaws of certain defeat. Or maybe we need to turn “Tate” into a verb, since she’s been making it a habit as well.
As expected, Holm controlled the majority of her fight with her superior standup, shaking off nearly all of Meisha’s takedowns. The Jackson-Wink protege survived a scary moment in the second, when Tate got her to the mat and nearly submitted her on several occasions. Holm went right back to business in rounds 3 and 4, tagging Tate at range.
Heading into the fifth round, it appeared as Holm was comfortably up three rounds to one. But Tate refused to let her off the hook, ducking under a combination and dragging her to the ground. “Cupcake” was able to take the back of a panicked Holm, choking her unconscious with just a 1:30 left in the fight.
Miesha Tate is one of the most experienced bantamweight fighters in the world. She’s one of those fighters who have been around women’s MMA since its infancy, so seeing her finally lay claim to UFC gold is a definite feel-good story. According to Dana White, a third matchup with rival Ronda Rousey is likely.
BET ON UFC FIGHTS NOW
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! You can even wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Money lines, totals, props and money line are all available now. UFC Fight Night 85 takes place Saturday, March 19, 2016 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. The card will stream on Fox Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET following the prelims starting at 7 p.m.
