UFC 196 was expected to be a very exciting night of fights even after it was revealed that Conor McGregor wouldn't be fighting for a belt. The night did not disappoint, as the two main events finished with major upsets as Holly Holm lost to Miesha Tate and McGregor lost to Nate Diaz.
McGregor was the big favorite coming into this fight and talked a lot of trash to Diaz, guaranteeing he would win. McGregor came up short against Diaz, but he did not make any excuses after the fight. One person who was impressed with the way McGregor handled the loss was Jon Jones.
After the fight, McGregor said he was heartbroken but he also had no regrets as he never wants to turn down a challenge. McGregor is always talking when he is winning, but even in defeat the current featherweight champion stood up there and spoke to the media about the loss. You could say, "well, that's part of his job," but there aren't many fighters that would be that willing to talk that much after losing a fight and McGregor was very gracious.
Jones took notice of the way McGregor handled the loss and posted a video on Instagram with a caption that said he gained more respect for the Irishmen.
"I wanted to take a quick second to shout out Conor McGregor for the way he handled defeat last night. He really handled it like a champion. You know, he took a gamble, fighting anyone, anywhere. It was a gamble he lost, but in a way he won because he really got to show some great character. So, shout out to you," said Jones in the video.
McGregor did take a big risk when he decided to move up to 170 pounds to fight Diaz and it didn't pay off, but it's hard not to respect him for it. McGregor is the champion at 145, and that is likely where he will fight next, but he was scheduled to move up to 155 before Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out with a broken foot.
As for Jones, he is scheduled to get back in the Octagon on April 23 at UFC 197 where he will fight light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Jones hasn't fought since a hit-and-run charge back in April of 2015 which caused him to be stripped of his title. Cormier has lost one fight in his MMA career - to Jones - so the headliner at UFC 197 will be something to watch.
