Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz Opening Odds

Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz Opening Odds – The UFC 196 main event has been set now for a couple of days as Nate Diaz steps in for the injured Rafael Dos Anjos to face Conor McGregor.

The UFC 196 is at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and the main fights will be airing on PPV.

[related_post_two]

The bottom line on this fight is that it has a ton of crackling energy around it that the match-up with Dos Anjos did not have. With all due respect to Dos Anjos, a fine champion, he is a bit on the bland side when it comes to personality, and he appeared eager to fight McGregor and grateful for the opportunity. Standard fair.

But not the bombastic Diaz. He took the fight on short notice, and he has been basically bitchin’ and complaining the whole way. He almost talked himself out of the fight on social media, but UFC President Dana White got the deal done. Certainly, Diaz will make more money than he has ever made for this fight, and he is already circling the wagons and getting into his fight mode.

This is definitely going to be an interesting clash of styles. The fact is that with Aldo, Poirier and everyone in between, McGregor dominated the fight outside the ring. With Diaz that is unlikely to work. Diaz is wired different, and he is gonig to react if he feels disprespected. He and his crew have been aprt of extra curricular incidents a number of times, and things will be volatile when McGregor and Diaz are in the same room.

The big winner in all of this is Dana White and the UFC. Of all the choices being offered for potential McGregor opponents to replace Dos Anjos, Diaz is probably the biggest draw.

Diaz is known for his blend of volume striking and excellent jiu-jitsu. He will be better on the ground than McGregor, but unlike Dos Anjos, take downs are not a strong suit of his. That along with his confidence in his striking means he will meet McGregor standing and stay there. McGregor has shown himself to be unorthodox and explosive in his striking, but if he cannot KO Diaz, Diaz is the kind of guy who will be relentless in the stand-up game.

One other factor that could come into play is Diaz height and reach. From Chad Mendes to Denis Siver to even Rafael Dos Anjos, McGregor has been fed a steady diet of stocky fighters. Even Aldo was shorter and had less reach. Diaz will be taller and longer than McGregor, and Diaz has a real grasp on managing a long, attritive stand up fight, something Aldo did not display.

Regardless, the Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz Opening Odds have McGregor a large favorite.