Conor McGregor’s coach predicts early finish against Nate Diaz

While Conor McGregor might have opened up as the betting favorite against Nate Diaz ahead of their welterweight scrap at UFC 196 on March 5th, his coach, John Kavanagh, thinks it will be an early finish.

Diaz was given the fight after UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos was forced out of the bout with a broken foot Tuesday morning.

In a blog post for The42, Kavanagh explained why he feels it will be an early stoppage.

“As for Nate, if you look at his last fight — when he beat Michael Johnson by decision — Michael comes from a great team but he is quite new to striking, yet he still managed to land a lot of shots. Josh Thomson badly lit Nate up when they fought in 2013.

The Diaz brothers are known for walking through shots but Nate doesn’t quite have Nick’s ability to absorb punishment. It’s a different ball-game when you face somebody who has been striking for their entire life, as opposed to a wrestler who’s still trying to develop their striking. I think it will be an early night for Nate.”

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