Boxing Coach: Nate Diaz Was Better Off Physically at UFC 196 Than UFC 202

Even though Nate Diaz was partying in Mexico not long before he accepted a short notice fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 196 in March, the Stockton, Calif., native might have been in better shape for that bout than he was for the rematch at UFC 202.Boxing coach Richard Perez reiterated Diaz’s post-fight claims that he suffered multiple injuries before UFC 202 that hindered his ability to train prior to the Aug. 20 contest. McGregor defeated Diaz via majority decision in the highly anticipated bout. “They [the injuries] were bad. The knee was bad and the ribs were bad because when he hurt his knee, he couldn’t run. So then when it got a little better, he wanted to start sparring. And he’s not in shape because he wasn’t really doing much,” Perez recently told Submission Radio. “You know, you work on a little bit of mitts and you work a little bit of sparring and he got better and better. And then when he got [sparring partner Alan Sanchez] in there, he went a good four hard rounds and he was doing real good, but he was getting a little tired, and that’s when Sanchez caught him in the rib and that then put him out there for a while.” Despite those setbacks, Diaz never thought about pulling out of the fight, not …

continue reading in source www.sherdog.com