The Savage Truth: Moving the Needle

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With UFC 196 only a few days away, I can’t help but feel I’ve been robbed already.

During last week’s press conference in California, the world was given a brief glimpse of what should have been a two-month buildup to an epic showdown between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Unfortunately, with Diaz only having 10 days to prepare for the fight, nearly a week has gone by without another peep.

I’m sure that is all going to change as the camps settle into their Las Vegas routines this week, but I’m a little disappointed anyway. We were never going to get a full promotional build with the original fight between McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos being announced less than two months prior, but at least the UFC had the opportunity to put together some slick promos, even if dos Anjos lacks the flair and personality of a Diaz or McGregor.

It’s going to be interesting to see how this bout does business-wise. McGregor has been an unstoppable force over the last two years with increasing ratings and pay-per-view sales each and every time he takes to the Octagon. I was curious how those figures would look with the less charismatic dos Anjos as his foil, and I’m still curious since there has been such a truncated period to hype the Diaz bout. There is no denying the McGregor phenomenon that has gripped mixed martial arts; I’m just wondering if it is the same as when boxers like Mike Tyson or Oscar de la Hoya could fights stiffs and everyone would still buy it.

Can McGregor carry a show all by himself? If the numbers for UFC 196 are where I expect them to be, then it is going to be another feather in the cap of the young Irishman and he’ll increase his already considerable leverage with the promotion. Oh, to be a fly on the wall the next time McGregor sits down to negotiate with the UFC.

I don’t want to completely ignore the other side of the equation because Diaz is such a unique figure in his own right. An impressive win over the surging Michael Johnson catapulted Diaz into the conversation to fight McGregor. He was originally passed over because of Conor’s desire to nab another belt but, as fate would have it, Diaz wound up with the fight he wanted.

Two years after UFC boss Dana White noted that Diaz just wasn’t much of a “needle mover,” the 30-year-old Californian sits in an enviable situation, looking to be the first to knock off McGregor inside the Octagon. He’s also going to be cashing a pretty hefty check come Sunday morning as well, a nice ancillary benefit the “needle movers” of the sport tend to enjoy.

Surely, Diaz would have preferred a full fight camp to prepare, but his well-rounded repertoire should serve him well as long as his cardio holds out. That said, I am not sure how much of a gas tank he’s going to bring with him on such short notice. Either way, the guy is a Diaz and you know he’s going to bring it.

I’m expecting an entertaining scrap that should be preceded by some one-liners and profane diatribes in the last-minute promotional push. Coupled with an awesome women’s bantamweight title fight between Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, UFC 196 is must-watch MMA programming.

I just can’t help but think of what could have been if this was the fight made back in December. We’re still in for a treat come Saturday night, and perhaps even a Diaz upset that would allow us to run it back with the full slate of pre-fight promotion this bout deserved. If not, there is always Nick Diaz waiting in the wings to fulfill that promise.

Sherdog.com Executive Editor Greg Savage can be reached by email or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.