Beyond Defeat: The Importance of McGregor’s Reaction to Diaz Loss

After Meisha Tate's last gasp finish of Holly Holm in the co-main event of UFC 196, the overwhelming majority of the spectators in the MGM Grand Garden Arena believed they had witnessed the most significant upset of the night. And from the way 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor opened up proceedings in his headline clash with Nate Diaz, those members of the audience were on course to be proven correct.

Working the legs and body of Diaz on a number of occasions during the opening five minutes, the patented left straight of the Irishman landed on the outspoken Stockton native with devastating fashion. McGregor went out looking for a home run against the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu student and as the claxon sounded to finish the Irishman's first round as a UFC welterweight, surprisingly, Diaz was still standing despite the considerable damage to his left eye.

There was nothing new from Diaz on the night. The jab-cross combination he has utilized throughout his UFC tenure was fairly ineffective in the first, but as the second round wore on, McGregor could not evade Diaz. Halfway through the second, Diaz sent his notorious counterpart on the back foot with a left hand. Locking him against the cage, Diaz snapped McGregor's head back with shots from the clinch and as the SBG frontrunner escaped his clutches, he looked for a takedown to stop the onslaught of Diaz.

Never have we seen McGregor forced to take a fight from his preferred striking realm. The shot selection that saw him attack Diaz's legs and body were no longer present. As Diaz mounted him, McGregor turned and as soon as the gap presented itself he locked up a rear naked choke that would eventually bring about his third loss as a professional fighter.

As we know from Ronda Rousey's spectacular loss to Holm back in November, the Dubliner's initial reaction was crucial. After Rousey did not address her loss in public for a very long time after "the head kick heard around the world" connected with her in Melbourne, her sportsmanship was called into question. McGregor, on the other hand, made a point of being humble in the Octagon in his post-fight address and again at the event's post-fight press conference.

"It's a bitter pill to swallow," said McGregor who wore damage to his right eye. "I took a shot, I went at it and I feel I was simply inefficient with my energy. Usually, I fight a man in the division I am the champion of," he said gesturing towards his featherweight title, "and they crumble under those shots.

"Nate took them very well. I think the weight allowed him to take those shots well. There needs to be a little bit of an adjustment and the recognition that against the bigger man you need to be more efficient with your striking and you must not out everything into your shots.

"It was simply a battle of energy in there and he got the better of that. This is the game. We win some, we lose some. I will never shy away from a challenge. I will never shy away from defeat. This is part of the game. I was happy to go out there and stay in this fight. I had many chances to sit and not do this, but I went in."

It's been well documented how McGregor has reacted to his two previous losses. At just 19 years of age, McGregor was already riding a lot of hype a 2-0 prospect and his first round loss to Artemij Sitenkov, via kneebar, saw him leave MMA completely before John Kavanagh got a phone call from McGregor's mother urging him to get him back into the sport after a near 18 month absence.

As Owen Roddy told me back in Mac Mansion back in May, McGregor's second loss to Joseph Duffy back in 2010 turned him into the great fighter he has become.

"Conor only kind of done it once, that was after the loss to Sitenkov," said Roddy. "He had been training for a long time and then I think after the loss he wanted a break for a little bit. He took a good few months off and then he came back. Then when he lost to Joe Duffy, we saw a big change come over Conor. He was back in the gym on Monday. After that, there was these huge improvements week after week.

"The change in his mentality was unbelievable. He beat himself up after the first loss in front of his family and friends. We were talking about him like he was the next big thing back then. I remember telling his father as much after the fight."

Although we won't fully understand the impact that Diaz's victory over the Irishman will have on his performance, it looks like McGregor is more motivated than ever to prove his doubters wrong based on his latest post on Instagram.

He wrote: "I stormed in and put it all on the line. I took a shot and missed. I will never apologize for taking a shot. Shit happens. I'll take this loss like a man. I will not shy away from it. I will not change who I am. If another champion goes up 2 weights let me know. If you're tired of me talking money, take a nap. I'll still be here when you wake up with the highest PPV and the gate. Still talking multi 7's."

"Thank you to the true (supporters) and fuck the hate that came out of the woodwork. I love it all. It's still steak for breakfast. I've been here many times in my life in some form or another. I'll eat it all and come back stronger. Aldo, you are a pussy. Dos Anjos you are a pussy. When the history books are written, I showed up. You showed up on Twitter. To the fans! Never ever shy away from challenges. Never run from adversity. Face yourself head on. Nate, I will see you again."

With his next bout likely to be at featherweight based on his post-fight press conference speech, it will probably be UFC 200 before we get to see if the defeat to Diaz has taken away from his status as the most devastating featherweight on the UFC's books. There are plenty of doubters and supporters of 'The Notorious' after UFC 196, which will probably guarantee the same hype and anticipation when he eventually returns to the Octagon.