Nate Diaz wants validation. Conor McGregor desires revenge.
Ahead of UFC 202 “McGregor vs. Diaz 2,” members of the Sherdog.com staff swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions:
Standings
Mike Fridley (36-21-1)Tristen Critchfield (35-22-1)
Jordan Breen (34-23-1)
Mike Sloan (32-25-1)
Brian Knapp (30-27-1)
The Lineup
170: Nate Diaz (19-10) vs. Conor McGregor (19-3)205: Anthony Johnson (21-5) vs. Glover Teixeira (25-4)
170: Rick Story (19-8) vs. Donald Cerrone (30-7)
170: Hyun Gyu Lim (13-5-1) vs. Mike Perry (6-0)
170: Tim Means (25-7-1) vs. Sabah Homasi (11-5)
135: Cody Garbrandt (9-0) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (21-9-2)
135: Raquel Pennington (7-5) vs. Elizabeth Phillips (5-3)
145: Artem Lobov (11-12-1) vs. Chris Avila (5-2)
135: Randa Markos (6-3) vs. Cortney Casey (5-3)
170: Neil Magny (18-4) vs. Lorenz Larkin (17-5)
170: Colby Covington (9-1) vs. Max Griffin (12-2)
185: Alberto Emiliano Pereira (9-1) vs. Marvin Vettori (10-2)
The Picks
Mike Fridley: McGregor, Johnson, Story, Lim, Means, Garbrandt, Pennington, Lobov, Markos, Magny, Covington, PereiraTristen Critchfield: Diaz, Johnson, Cerrone, Lim, Means, Garbrandt, Pennington, Avila, Casey, Magny, Covington, Vettori
Jordan Breen: Diaz, Johnson, Cerrone, Lim, Means, Garbrandt, Pennington, Avila, Markos, Magny, Covington, Vettori
Mike Sloan: Diaz, Teixeira, Cerrone, Lim, Means, Garbrandt, Pennington, Avila, Markos, Magny, Covington, Pereira
Brian Knapp: McGregor, Johnson, Story, Lim, Means, Garbrandt, Pennington, Avila, Markos, Larkin, Covington, Vettori