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UFC 202 Preview : Can Conor McGregor actually prove himself at welterweight?

UFC Previews
Last Updated : 16th August, 2016 By Alex M

UFC 202 is the latest pay-per-view event for the premier MMA company on the planet and while it might not be as stacked as UFC 200 was, the main event of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz is sure to draw plenty of interest. Lucrative interest, at that.

It's win or bust for McGregor: his legendary mouth won't be quite as intriguing if he spectacularly falls short of his predictions two fights in a row. Many thought he bit off more than he could chew in his last outing with Diaz where he was embarrassingly submitted in the second-round, and perhaps his ego has taken this rematch rather than his brain.

There are four other fights on the main card in Las Vegas this Saturday, and we'll give you all the information you need to make a pretty penny or two on them right here.

Tim Means vs. Sabah Homasi - Welterweight

In essence, this is Means' comeback from a six-month suspension thanks to a USADA anti-doping policy violation. The 32-year-old won his last bout back in December 2015 via KO (punches), putting John Howard to bed in the second round. Homasi wasn't even the original opponent for Means; Sean Strickland - a man with a 6-1 record in the UFC and 18-1 overall - was the original adversary, but he had to withdraw through injury. That means Homasi steps in for his first ever UFC fight and The Punisher holds a record 11-5 elsewhere. Expect Means to finish Homasi via punches in the second round, available at a great price of 5/1 with BetVictor.

Get odds of 1/4 with William Hill for Tim Means to win (£20 free bet)

Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Mike Perry - Welterweight

In this bout, we have another UFC debutant in Perry, who is also replacing an original competitor. Sultan Aliev was slated to face the 31-year-old South Korean Lim, but a wrist injury has put him on the shelf. Perry is very different to Homasi though; all six of Perry’s wins are by KO or TKO. Four of his fights ended in the first round and he has been making a serious name for himself around America. Lim's last outing was a loss to Neil Magny 15 months ago by second-round TKO (punches) and that's hardly the kind of momentum you need against a hungry up-and-comer like Perry. The 24-year-old American will score an upset here, probably via KO.

Get odds of 7/2 with Skybet for Mike Perry to win via KO, TKO or DQ (£20 free bet)

Rick Story vs. Donald Cerrone - Welterweight

Story is ninth in the welterweight rankings and Cerrone is 14th. After Robbie Lawler was savagely knocked out by new welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 201, competition at 170lbs has never been fiercer. Story is on a three-fight winning streak and his last battle was only three months ago against Tarec Saffiedine, whom he beat via unanimous decision. Cerrone, though, is a submission specialist who has won 16 of his 30 MMA wars through that method. The former kickboxer and boxer is also ranked as sixth in the light-heavyweight rankings and there's every chance he will make Story tap in this one.

Get odds of 5/1 with Skybet for Donald Cerrone to win via submission (£20 free bet)

Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixiera - Light Heavyweight

The narrative behind this bout is as simple as it gets: Johnson is the No. 1 contender in the light heavyweight division and Teixeira is No. 2. The winner will get a shot at light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who beat UFC legend Anderson Silva by unanimous decision at UFC 200. A total of 15 of Johnson's 21 victories have been by KO or TKO and he is currently on a three-fight win streak, though his last defeat did come at the hands of Cormier in May 2015. Teixeira, 36, has also won three fights in a row and he was last in the Octagon in April. He impressively took out former champion Rashad Evans by first-round knockout (punches) and, really, that's exactly what the Brazilian does. 15 of Teixeira’s career wins have come by KO or TKO and there's virtually no chance of this fight going the distance. Could go either way, but Johnson just shades it for us on account of his power.

Get odds of 2/5 with Betvictor for the Anthony Johnson/Glover Teixiera fight to end in a KO (£60 free bet)

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II - Welterweight

At UFC 196 McGregor was looking to become the first UFC fighter to hold titles in multiple weight classes. He was the UFC featherweight champion - though, he has now been stripped of that and the man he beat, Jose Aldo, is the interim champion - and he was looking to take out Rafael dos Anjos for the light-heavyweight strap. However, a broken foot for Anjos meant that Diaz took the fight at 11 days notice and submitted McGregor - who has lost all three of his bouts in his career via submission - with a rear naked choke in the second round. The Irishman was on a 15 fight win-streak before then and was, arguably, the biggest draw in the company. However, jumping up to 170lbs from 145lbs was never a smart move and the striking power that made him so formidable isn't so potent two weight classes up. Diaz showed he could take anything McGregor had to give, and the fact that the Notorious One has taken the fight at 170lbs again is either commendable or stupid. Surprisingly McGregor does come in to the bout as the slight favourite and his fellow Irishmen have him at 4/5 to exact revenge. Chances are however, this fight will have a similar outcome to their first duel.

Get odds of 3/1 with Boylesports for Nate Diaz to win via submission (£50 free bet)



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McGregor/Diaz is expected to commence about 4:00am GMT

All three of Conor McGregor's defeats have come via submission

Mike Perry is one of the most promising welterweights in the world


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