02-15-2020, 07:37 AM
UFC expert Adam Matues is backing Conor McGregor to record a second-round win over Nate Diaz at UFC 196... Conor McGregor should have been attempting to make history on Saturday night by becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at once.However, his scheduled opponent, lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, broke his foot just 11 days before the bout, becoming the second of McGregors last eight scheduled opponents to pull out of a fight with him. McGregor v Diaz Get all the big-fight odds from Sky Bet here As news spread of his withdrawal, many fighters threw their names into the hat to replace Dos Anjos, but one in particular stood out.Back in December following a unanimous decision win over Michael Johnson, Nate Diaz launched a foul-mouthed tirade live on air calling out McGregor, claiming it would be The Big Money Fight. Diaz (right) is a replacement opponent after Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out The UFC granted the Ultimate Fighter season five winner his wish, with the companys two biggest trash talkers set to clash at the welterweight limit of 170lbs, which seems outrageous given that McGregor is the current 145lb champion.At odds of 1/5 McGregor is the overwhelming outright favourite but at such a short price I am looking elsewhere for a bet and I will first make the case for a huge upset.Could Diaz win? Diaz had called for a clash with the Irishman Diaz balances technical boxing skills with an exceptional ground game, giving him options when building his game plan for this fight.The American will have seen how often Chad Mendes was able to take down McGregor and he may see that as his big opportunity to get the win.However, having only ever been knocked out once, he may be confident enough to engage in a tactical striking contest and, at 6ft 1in, Diaz is significantly bigger than the 5ft 9in McGregor, making it the first time The Notorious hasnt had a height and reach advantage over an opponent. McGregors latest foe could be tempted to stand and trade with him At 7/2, Diaz is the significant underdog with many expecting him to enter the Octagon out of shape, having accepted the fight at just 10 days notice.However, to me this price is a little too big as we know Diaz has a relentless engine, fine-tuned by training for triathlons in his spare time, something which he was doing when he got the call about this fight.With 10 of his last 19 wins coming via submission, five of which were in the second round, a small bet on Diaz to win by submission in the second at 40/1 with Sky Bet should appeal to those sensing an upset.Mystic Mac The two fighters have exchanged heated words this week McGregors distance control inside the Octagon is better than anyones so, should the fight stay standing, the height and reach disadvantage is negligible.Even if the fight goes to the ground, McGregor proved against Chad Mendes, a world-class wrestler, that he can manoeuvre himself back into an advantageous position.McGregor has built a reputation of being able to correctly predict exactly when and how he will beat an opponent, earning himself the nickname Mystic Mac in the process.This time he has predicted he will stop Diaz inside the first round and he could be proven right again if he can force Diaz into making mistakes like he did to Jose Aldo in a 13-second demolition.Sky Bet have boosted McGregor to win in the first two minutes from 3/1 to 5/1, which looks a nice price when compared to the 11/8 for the first-round win, especially if you believe McGregor when he says Diaz will be hurt in the first exchange. McGregor will be seeking another swift victory at UFC 196 None of his last five fights have gone past the second round, compared to Diaz who has gone the distance in three of his. As spectacular as a first-round stoppage would be, I see this lasting longer with both to keep a vicious pace for the first round and a half.Diaz is very tough and I expect the first round to be fairly even with both fighters striking well but a 10-day fight preparation is not enough to take on arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.As Diazs legs begin to get heavy towards the end of the second, I expect McGregor to back up his claim that he is too fast and elusive for these stuck in the mud welterweights by picking off Diaz whenever he advances. Therefore my main bet is going to be McGregor to KO Diaz in the second round, which is available at 10/3 with Sky Bet. Also See: McGregor scuffles with Diaz WATCH: Rockhold on McGregor Cheap Jerseys From China . 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With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Wholesale Jerseys 2020 . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. PHOENIX -- After rallying to tie the game in the ninth inning, the Philadelphia Phillies had just the man they wanted up with two on in the 10th: Ryan Howard. It didnt matter that Howard had been hitless in his previous 18 at-bats, striking out in half of those. No matter that he was facing a pitcher who hadnt given up a run all season, either. With the game on the line, few players are better than the Phillies bashing first baseman. Shaking off what had been a disappointing day and series, Howard looped a two-run single to right field, lifting the Phillies to a 4-2 comeback victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. "When hes going bad, he looks bad, but he can take one swing and get the game over," Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. Shut down by Brandon McCarthy for the first eight innings, the Phillies scored two runs in the ninth against fill-in Diamondbacks closer Heath Bell. Delmon Young drove in one with a double and Domonic Brown tied it at 2 with a single up the middle. Justin De Fratus (1-0) got a huge out with a runner on in the bottom half, striking out Paul Goldschmidt -- who began the day second in the NL with 30 RBIs. Jimmy Rollins then singled with one out in the 10th off Matt Reynolds (0-1), and Chase Utley followed with his fourth hit, a double to the corner in right. Howard was hitless in four previous at-bats and came up against Reynolds, who had not allowed a run in 19 straight appearances to open the season. Howard came through, though, just as the Phillies expected. Swinging on an inside pitch, Howard muscled a ball to right that likely would have been caught had the Diamondbacks been in their usual shift for the slugger. Instead of sending the second baseman out to shallow right against Howard, Arizona had its infield drawn in and the ball landed safely on the outfield grass, allowing Rollins and Utley to score. Jonathan Papelbon worked a one-hit 10th for his seventh save in as many chances and the Phillies had 15 hits -- none bigger than Howards. "That was big for Ryan to get a big hit like that," said Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick, who shook off a shaky first inning to give Philadelphia a chance. "Im not saying that just because I was pitching, but its just nice to see later in the game like that." McCarthy had an early lead after Gerardo Parra hit his second career leadoff homer and A.J. Pollock drove in another run in the first inning off Kendrick. Inconsistent through most of his first season with Arizona, McCarthy was sharp in his eighth start for the Diamondbacks, scattering seven singles over eight scoreless innings. The right-hander had only thrown 88 pitches, but Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson opted to pull him for Bell, who had earned three straight saves since closer J.J. Putz went on the disabled list. Bell blew the lead in the ninth and Reynolds was uncharacteristically shaky in the 10th, giving up four hits to see his overall scoreless outings streak end at 22 games, dating to last season.dddddddddddd "I guess we went the way we thought was the best way to go," Gibson said. "It didnt work out. We know now it didnt work out and even if we left him in we dont know how that would have worked out. Sometimes you make decisions and it doesnt work out. That was my decision." McCarthy was solid in his previous outing, giving up three runs over 6 2-3 innings against the Dodgers, but didnt figure in the decision after the Diamondbacks pulled out a victory in the ninth inning. Staked to an early 2-0 lead this time, he was sharp against Philadelphia, shaking off a pair of singles in the second inning by getting groundouts and stranding runners every time the Phillies got hits. First baseman Eric Hinske gave McCarthy some help in the sixth with a diving stop on a hard-hit ball by Howard, and shortstop Didi Gregorius ended the seventh with a double play after coming up with a tough one-hopper. McCarthy induced another double play after pinch-hitter Michael Young led off the eighth with a single. McCarthy pitched eight scoreless innings for the first time since Sept. 3, 2011, against Seattle. "At 88 (pitches) I was a little tired but I felt that I was at least shoring some things up," McCarthy said. "It is an inning that I always like to go back out. The last few weeks havent been smooth and I havent really been a guy that you counted on. I would like to get that reputation back where it is a no-brainer and I get the ball in the ninth." Kendrick, who has struggled against Arizona, was in trouble right away on Sunday, leaving a 1-2 pitch up in the zone that Parra hit out to right. Gregorius followed with a triple to the gap and Pollock added a run-scoring single to put Arizona up 2-0 after one inning. Kendrick settled down after that and got some help in the third, when Brown nonchalantly reached over the wall in left to rob Eric Chavez of a homer. Kendrick allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four in seven innings. "I just made a couple of bad pitches, pitches that were up over the plate," he said. "The guy on the other side was pitching well, so it was good to see us go out and get that win." NOTES: McCarthy hasnt won since Aug. 31 against Boston while pitching for Oakland. ... Reynolds 19 straight scoreless outings matched Joe Pattersons 2011 team record. ... Diamondbacks LHP Wade Miley, who starts Mondays series opener against Atlanta, has allowed two earned runs in 11 innings in two home starts this season. ... The Phillies have a day off before RHP Jonathan Pettibone (2-0) pitches against Cleveland LHP Scott Kazmir to open a two-game series Tuesday. ' ' '