Conor McGregor and Holly Holm were expected to be the stars of the night on Saturday at UFC 196, but both would end up losing via rear naked choke in a pair of exciting, if ultimately shocking, matches. McGregor and Nate Diaz got off to a hot start in the first round, trading punches back and forth with McGregor landing some hard blows that opened a cut near Diaz's right eye.
Diaz was bleeding heavily from the cut, but it did not seem to slow him down, as he only grew stronger in the second round. He stunned McGregor with multiple punches including one that landed right on the Irish fighter's jaw. McGregor looked unsteady on his feet after the huge blow, and eventually dove at Diaz for a takedown. But Diaz, who excels on the mat, sunk in the rear naked choke and forced McGregor to tap out.
While Diaz's win only made it to the second round, Holm and Tate went the distance - it wasn't until the final round that Tate closed the fight out with a submission. Holm seemed to be winning the stand up fight by a small margin for a majority of the bout, but Tate dominated the second round and controlled Holm on the ground, landing punches and almost securing a chokehold early.
In the fifth round Tate was able to take Holm down with two minutes left, and when Holm tried to reach the cage and stand up Tate was able to sink in her own rear naked choke and didn't let go, even after being flipped over onto her back. Holm didn't even tap out from the chokehold, as the referee was forced to call the fight after she passed out.
The question for fans now becomes - what is next for featherweight champion Conor McGregor and new bantamweight champion Miesha Tate.
"I think that Ronda (Rousey) now will fight Miesha Tate for the title," said UFC President Dana White following UFC 196. "That's what's going to happen. That's what I said before this fight even happened. Whoever wins tonight will fight Ronda for the title."
While Tate is expected to defend her title against Rousey, it sounds like McGregor is ready to drop back to featherweight and defend his own title. Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo called out McGregor following his fight, and demanded a rematch. Aldo is not the only one waiting for his shot at the belt as many believe Frankie Edgar is next in line for the title shot after a first-round knock out of Chad Mendes this past December.
"It's hard not to give Aldo another go," said McGregor. "He was 10 years undefeated. But again, he pulls out a lot; he doesn't show up. Frankie at least gets in there and competes I don't know. I'll keep my ear to the ground and see who the fans want to see the most."
