N. Diaz (photo) fighting for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @NateDiaz
The co-main fight of UFC 241, which took place this Saturday (17), in Anaheim (USA), was marked by a great confrontation between Nate diaz e Anthony Pettis. Diaz, who returned to the Octagon after a three-year hiatus in his career, managed to overcome the pressure of the 'Showtime' blows and dominated most of the rounds in the fight that was decided by unanimous decision by the judges. Nate was coming off a defeat to Conor McGregor occurred in 2016.
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Time passes, but Diaz continues to show that he is not just an athlete who talks. The fighter, who is famous for saying what he wants, has managed to show that he is capable of giving MMA enthusiasts exciting confrontations just like in the old days.
Now in the welterweight division (up to 77kg.), the fighter showed that he is still capable of withstanding hard blows while walking towards his opponent, using his quality boxing, in addition to excellent jiu-jitsu, which was perfected by Brazilian kron gracie.
Pettis was coming off a great victory over the North American, Stephen Thompson, in a confrontation that took place in March this year. Against Diaz, the former lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg) was unable to put his performance strikes into practice and ended up showing some fatigue from the second round onwards, when he began to accept clean blows to the face. At the end of the duel, the two fighters showed a lot of respect for each other, just like in the week before the fight.
The new triumph marked the 20th victory of Nate's career, aged 34, who also has 11 defeats.
Anthony suffered his ninth defeat in his professional career, which has 22 victories.
The fight
Pettis took the initiative and threw a low kick, which grazed Pettis' legs. Diaz continued walking towards his opponent and throwing blows. A direct shot from Anthony, however, almost unbalanced Nate, who remained active. A high kick from Pettis touched his opponent's head, who gave a thumbs up, praising his opponent's attack. After three minutes, Nate attempted a takedown on his compatriot, but fell with his neck exposed and, almost, was caught in a guillotine choke. The athlete, however, managed to escape the position. After the attempt, Diaz was able to perform on the ground, where he has quality jiu-jitsu. Looking for Pettis' back, the athlete tried to find space to strike and achieve a submission. The timer, however, has run out.
In the second stage, the athletes remained aggressive. With a small advantage over Pettis, Diaz showed his usual courage to absorb the blows. The fight was interrupted after Nate caught a poke in the eye, but it was soon restarted. Upon return, Diaz took advantage of Pettis' misfortune, who turned his back to his opponent and was soon placed on the ground. Dias showed his usual sharp boxing and began to wobble Anthony with jabs and straight shots. Apparently tired, the 'Showtime' blows had no effect and the fighter began to be hit hard. At the end of the round, Pettis managed to land a few elbows on his opponent's face, but nothing that changed the result.
The athletes returned for the last round in a frank exchange, which excited the public. With his face bruised, Nate remained attacking Anthony with danger. Committed, Diaz never stopped chasing 'Showtime' around the Octagon. After a great combination of blows, Pettis once again turned his back on his compatriot, attacking the blows, and ended up falling, due to the intensity of the North American's attacks. Nate continued to strike his opponent on the ground, but Anthony managed to recover and reversed the situation, getting on top of Diaz on the ground. The athletes began to engage in an exciting fight in which positions began to be reversed. Nate managed to get out from below and reached Pettis' back looking for a choke. In the final seconds, the athletes were still trying to finish, but there was no more time.
UFC 241 results
MAIN CARD
Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Stipe Miocic derrotou Daniel Cormier by knockout at 4m09s of R4 – title fight
Welterweight (up to 77kg): Nate diaz defeated Anthony Pettis in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Average weight (up to 83,9kg): Paulo borrachinha derrotou Yoel romero in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28 29-28 29-28)
Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Sodiq Yusuf defeated Gabriel Benítez by knockout at 4m14s of R1
Middleweight (up to 83,9kg): Derek Brunson derrotou Ian Heinisch in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28 29-28 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Light weight (up to 70,3kg.): Khama Worthy derrotou Devonte Smith by knockout at 4m15s of R1
Bantam weight (up to 61,2kg): Cory Sandhagen derrotou Raphael Assunção in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Light weight (up to 70,3kg.): Drakkar Klose derrotou Christos Giagos in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantam weight (up to 61,2kg): Casey kenney defeated Manny Bermudez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Strawweight (up to 52,1kg): Hannah Cifers defeated Jodie Esquibel via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantam weight (up to 61,2kg): Kyung Ho Kang derrotou Brandon davis in the judges' split decision (29-28 28-29 29-28)
Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Sabina mazo defeated Shana Dobson via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 30-25)
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