Diggin’ Deep on UFC 202: Diaz vs McGregor 2 main card preview

Let’s be honest. The opening two fights of the main card are more than a little bit underwhelming. Thanks to injuries, we’re looking at two unheralded newcomers making their debut on the paid portion of the card. I suppose I can’t blame the UFC as nobody was going to be paying to watch Sean Strickland or Sultan Aliev going against Tim Means and Hyun Gyu Lim respectively, but it still feels a bit of a shorting.

Fortunately the injury bug avoided both Rick Story and Donald Cerrone as that is one of the most anticipated contests on the card. The winner is likely to be dubbed an official contender at welterweight even if they would still be a fight or two away from getting an actual title shot. I’m actually looking forward to this – and other fights – more than the main event of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Can we get this feud in the rear-view mirror already and allow the featherweight division to progress!?

The main card starts at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.

Rick Story (19-8) vs. Donald Cerrone (30-7, 1 NC), Welterweight

Wait, are we supposed to take Cerrone serious as a welterweight? I thought he was taking fights there just to make some money. I guess he was serious….

Story was the hottest up-and-coming name in the division five years ago before his hype train was derailed by Charlie Brenneman. He alternated wins and losses for a few years after that, but seems to have righted his career the last few years with back-to-back wins over Gunnar Nelson and Tarec Saffiedine. Considering he has been in the UFC since 2009, it’s easy to forget that he is still only 31-years old. He very well could be in his prime.

Cerrone is still as brash as ever and has taken a much more aggressive approach now that he is no longer cutting the extra fifteen pounds that it takes to make the lightweight limit. The thought amongst some was now that Eddie Alvarez is champion at 155 – a man Cerrone has previously beaten – Cerrone might jump back down in hopes of a title shot. Nope. The Cowboy seems content where he is at. Why not after walking through Alex Oliveira and Patrick Cote?

Regardless of the improvements that he has been making, Cerrone is and always will be a kickboxer first and foremost. Favoring an attack centered around his legs, his switch kicks are among the best in the game and he has serious KO power in his round kicks. Remember his finishes of Adriano Martins and Jim Miller? The step-in knee that he added in recent years has also been a much talked about addition to his repertoire. He’s added a few more wrinkles recently. Cerrone has shown a greater inclination to throw punches in the pocket and utilize double-leg takedowns to greater effect. It’s getting harder to find weaknesses in Cerrone’s armor.

One thing that has traditionally been one of Cerrone’s weaknesses is when he is pressured, something Story does very well. A former collegiate wrestler, Story has evolved his game to use his wrestling skills to not just take his opponent down, but to pin them against the cage and beat on his opposition. He’s developed a reputation as one of the best at working over the body using terrific head positioning and underhooks to get his preferred angle to beat on the midsection. He’s an underrated boxer in the pocket as well even if it doesn’t look pretty.

Cerrone could end up landing a few takedowns if he times them correctly, but it’s more likely that we’ll see Cerrone operating off of his back than in top position as Story is …

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