10 Things You Didn't Know About Conor McGregor
8. He Completely Changed His Training Approach For Nate Diaz
Speaking of training, one man caused Conor McGregor to change his approach to fight camps: Nate Diaz.
Diaz, a longtime UFC notable, Ultimate Fighter winner, and all-around controversial figure handed McGregor his first UFC loss at UFC 196 back in March 2016. McGregor stormed out of the gate early, bloodied Diaz, but by the second round had gassed, started getting clipped with punches, and soon dove in for a takedown attempt out of desperation.
That was the wrong move. Diaz has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the famed Caesar Gracie, and being on the ground is not where you want to be with him. Diaz quickly locked in a choke on McGregor, forcing a tap.
The world was shocked. McGregor, however, handled the loss well. He went back to the drawing board, looking to his opponent as inspiration in how to train for the rematch. Diaz had long been known for having great cardio - both he and brother Nick run triathlons, and do a lot of bike work.
Suddenly, in the lead-up to UFC 202, you saw McGregor hitting to roads on a bike, spending as much time pedaling as honing his striking. It worked - he won the rematch, going the full five rounds for a majority decision win.