Conor McGregor has paid tribute to his opponent Nate Diaz after exacting revenge on him at UFC 202.
Five gruelling rounds were required to separate the two with both parties coming away with punishing side effects from the clash. Diaz sustained some heavy facial hits which drew blood and left him with a lot of bruising while McGregor suffered an injury to his shin after repeatedly hitting Diaz with leg kicks.
Speaking after the fight, the reigning UFC Featherweight Champion explained that leg kicks is not a skill he typically employs when fighting in the featherweight division, but that they were needed for this fight. He also detailed the damage caused by the leg kicks and praised Diaz for the resilience he showed to stay in the contest.
"My leg is in bits. In my whole career, I've thrown about three leg kicks. This time you have to hit the legs on him (Nate Diaz) so we practised leg kicks and I tell you what, he's got pretty good at checking them. He's not what he was, he's able to handle the leg kicks now and he's a lot more seasoned with them."
"His face opened up and he's still coming at me. You've gotta respect that. You've gotta respect Nate and the style of fighting that he brings. How can you not?"
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