Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz

Round 1
Veteran referee John McCarthy is the third man in the cage for tonight’s welterweight headliner, with judges Derek Cleary, Jeff Mullen and Glenn Trowbridge scoring the bout. The fighters are kept feet apart during final instructions, and there is no touch of gloves before or after the opening bell. McGregor opens with a pair of outside leg kicks as he pushes out from the center, moving Diaz backward toward the fence. Two more kicks connect on Diaz’s lead right leg, then another after he tries to step toward the middle. Diaz checks the next kick and gives McGregor one of his own. McGregor steps forward and connects with a left hand over the top. Diaz seems to recover quickly, then gets sent to the floor with a straight left. McGregor allows the jiu-jitsu specialist to stand as the enter the third minute of the opening round. Another slapping leg kick connects for McGregor, who shakes his head after dodging a two-piece Diaz combo. McGregor finds his straight left again as he catches Diaz leaning. The American’s face is marked up already, and he seems increasingly concerned with checking McGregor’s low kicks. Diaz takes another leg kick and walks into a left hand. The next kick from McGregor catches Diaz planting to throw a punch, and it looks like the hardest shot so far. Diaz is starting to talk to McGregor, throwing up his hands and walking forward on the Irishman. McGregor closes the round with a straight left and right hook, and Diaz is still trying to talk to him after the horn.

Sherdog Scores
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 McGregor
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 McGregor
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 McGregor

Round 2
Diaz checks the first leg kick from McGregor, but the second one lands with authority. McGregor catches the American with another left hand, putting Diaz on his seat again. McGregor tells him to stand, then sends him right back to the floor with another combination. Diaz is bloodied now, leaking fluid from his nose as he staggers around the outside. Diaz grabs for McGregor’s legs, can’t get there, and now McGregor pushes forward with more leg kicks. Diaz tries to answer in kind, but there’s not much behind his kicks at this point. Three minutes remain in the second round, and McGregor is firmly in control of the bout. The leg kicks and left hands keep coming; though Diaz is trying to get back in the fight, the openings are simply not there. McGregor stands in front of Diaz but keeps his distance, diving inside to deliver more kicks and snappy punches. Suddenly, with 90 seconds left, Diaz starts to gain some steam. The Stockton native’s slapping punches are finding a home, and McGregor is being forced to his back foot. McGregor stumbles as he moves backward and eats a hard right as he finds his footing. Diaz swarms him against the fence, teeing off with both hands while McGregor tries to hold on and slow the pace. A looping right hand, now a body shot score for Diaz as the final seconds tick down.

Sherdog Scores
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 McGregor
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 McGregor
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 McGregor

Round 3
The welterweights have traded positions at the start of round three, with Diaz pushing out from the center and McGregor circling around the perimeter. Diaz steps out with a two-piece, pushes McGregor against the fence and looks for a trip takedown, but McGregor blocks it and reverses. Diaz spins him around again, now 80 seconds into the round. McGregor slaps with palm strikes to the sides of Diaz’s head as he fights off the clinch and trip. McGregor separates and pops Diaz with an elbow on the way out, then follows him to land a leg kick. Now it’s McGregor back in the middle and Diaz taking a breather, jawing at “The Notorious” between exchanges. McGregor throws a kick, but it’s snatched up by Diaz and used to run the Irish champ against the fence. Diaz scores with some short left hands, drops levels and tries a double-leg, but it’s blocked by McGregor. Halfway through the round, McGregor spins to take the outside position in the clinch. Diaz walks him along the fence, maybe looking for a trip, then reverses and lands body-head on the split. McGregor is jogging away as Diaz walks him down, drawing a mocking finger-point and more words from Diaz. A leg kick lands for McGregor, then a sweeping right hand for Diaz. They tie up away from the fence with 60 seconds left, then Diaz pops McGregor with a one-two on the break. Diaz shoves McGregor against the wall and begins teeing off with punches, rocking McGregor’s head from side to side. McGregor eats an uppercut, a right hook, but he’s still standing up against the fence. Final 20 seconds now, and Diaz is still at it, hurting McGregor with a body blow and a knee to the face. McGregor is purely defensive here, but he’ll survive to see the fourth round.

Sherdog Scores
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Diaz
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Diaz
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Diaz

Round 4
Diaz opens the fourth round with a body shot; McGregor gets him back with a few hard leg kicks. Diaz is pawing at the blood running down his face, some of it into his right eye. It’s Diaz pressing forward, but McGregor is doing better work jabbing off his back foot in this frame. McGregor steps forward to land another stiff jab, now a leg kick that seems to sting Diaz, who hops away. Diaz shoots for a takedown at the fence, but McGregor stuffs it and peels away the American’s hands. Diaz switches to body shots, peppering both sides of McGregor’s ribcage with short punches. McGregor lands a short elbow in the clinch; Diaz gives him one in return and then goes back to holding McGregor against the wall. McGregor spins him around inside the final two minutes, then breaks away with a punching combo. A left hand from Diaz appears to wobble McGregor, but the featherweight ace responds with a punch of his own just seconds later. Body-head combination scores for McGregor, and Diaz looks to be fading here as rivers of blood continue to cover his face.

Sherdog Scores
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 McGregor
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 McGregor
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 McGregor

Round 5
Diaz walks forward and gets roughed up by a leaping knee, but he catches hold of McGregor and shoves him against the fence. McGregor reverses after 20 seconds and breaks away from the clinch, leaving Diaz with another punch to his grisly face. McGregor strolls away with his back turned, hands on his hips, and Diaz follows him to bring on another clinch. Diaz drops for yet another double-leg attempt, but McGregor blocks this one, too. Diaz switches to body shots, then slaps McGregor with a right hand. McGregor walks away with his hands on his hips again; Diaz walks after him and sticks out a middle finger. Diaz gets McGregor moving backward and leaning over, then tags him with a right hand. Now it’s a clinch from Diaz, pulling down McGregor’s head to tee him up for a knee which doesn’t materialize. Diaz scores with a knee to the body, tries another takedown and gets blocked by McGregor, who takes a look up at the clock and sees 90 seconds remaining. Diaz is doing good work in the clinch but he whiffs on a slashing elbow and allows McGregor to spin him around. McGregor hits a trip takedown, but Diaz is back on his feet seconds later. Down to the final half minute, Diaz continues to pepper with short punches in the tie-up. He finally trips McGregor to the ground with only moments to go, and Diaz closes out the fight with some ground-and-pound.

Sherdog Scores
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Diaz (48-47 McGregor)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Diaz (47-47 Draw)
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Diaz (48-47 McGregor)

The Official Result
Conor McGregor def. Nate Diaz via Majority Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-47) R5 5:00