He got the decision (rightly, but close), but head to head, I give Diaz the edge.
Conor has the skills and iq to beat Diaz by decision, but I can't imagine him putting him away.
I do think it's his greatest win too.
Not because Diaz has underrated abilities or size. But because it was the one Time he really had to dig deep and win a war. He looked gone in the third, yet he came back strong in the 4th.
He dismantled Eddie and Aldo, but I reckon this is the win he will look back on as his best.
He couldn't lose Diaz again and to be fair he won under immense pressure.
I personally didn't like the running but it is what It is.
i dunno about the edge, at best It was a draw. Clear first round, he was knocked down 3 times In the 2nd and dominated 3 and a half minutes of the round so there's no real way you give him that round In spite of rallying at the end.
At best you could argue that one of Nate's rounds was a 10-8, while also winning the 5th..making It a draw. If it were a fight to the death, Conor probably dies.So there's that, lol
But yeah, to me that was his greatest win for sure. Others he beat might have had better resume's but that version of Nate was probably the toughest fighter he'd fought up until that point. Prior to that, his ego was out of control and thought he could just go In there and knock anyone out, even a Diaz brother. Which is the reason he lost the first, put on a lot of stupid weight attempting to add to his power and blew everything trying to finish him. At which point he was a sitting duck. Having to make that adjustment to go 5 rounds against a guy with an Iron chin, who's capable of walking through all your shots and continuing to come forward like a zombie.
In retrospect, allowing the Nate fight to happen at 170 pounds was a bad move. It was an indication of his confidence and also cockiness / arrogance and allowed Nate to be a far more formidable foe than he would have been at 155 pounds. At the same time, having a big fight for the first time In his career really brought something out of Nate I feel. As Is often the case, the biggest fights / matches In sports will cause an athlete to break through Into a different level of their potential. By all accounts, It was a perfect storm..but I don't think people take all this Into account typically so neither Conor or Nate will get the credit they probably deserve.
I believe It was a calculated, strategic move from the Diaz camp. they petitioned for the weight and made full use of It. It would be silly for him not to utilize every possible advantage In the biggest fight of his career so I think It's a bit odd that people can't possibly believe Nate actually went Into that fight big. No shit he did..and why wouldn't he.. lol. That's mostly the reason why I believe It was his biggest win, size matters. Winning a fight while likely being outweighed by 10-15 pounds If not more matters and It adds far more credibility to the fight and win than If it had happened at 155.
Anyways, all that said..who really gives a shit.