CONOR McGREGOR WILL return to winning ways when he takes on Nate Diaz on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
That’s according to Joseph Duffy, who expects McGregor to overcome Diaz in this weekend’s UFC 202 main event at the T-Mobile Arena.
McGregor will be aiming to exact revenge over Diaz, having been submitted in the second round of their bout at UFC 196 back in March.
Despite losing the first round, Diaz — who had stepped in on less than a fortnight’s notice to replace the injured Rafael dos Anjos — handed McGregor his first taste of defeat since he was beaten by Duffy in a Cage Warriors bout in November 2010.
“In the first fight I felt like Conor was loading up a little bit too much,” Duffy told The42. “Maybe all the pressure got to him a bit. He was taking on Diaz on short notice and people thought it was going to be a landslide. Everyone thought Conor was going to knock him out — myself included.”
The bookmakers still expect McGregor to avenge the only UFC loss of his career, and Duffy — who picked up his third UFC victory last month with a very impressive stoppage of Mitch Clarke — believes McGregor’s status as favourite is justified.
He said: “Diaz has been through the mill and he’s fought the who’s who of the game. He gives everyone a hard time. But I think this time Conor will be more relaxed and he’ll pick him off over five rounds to win by decision.”
