Donald Cerrone (31-7) got an impressive knockout victory over Vancouver resident Rick Story (19-9) in a battle of ranked welterweights at UFC 202 on Saturday at Las Vegas.
Both fighters started slow, but 14th-ranked Cerrone picked up the pace in the second half of Round 1, landing accurate strikes and effective leg kicks to take an early edge.
Cerrone controlled the pace in Round 2, forcing the action by landing a three-punch combination followed by a head kick that left Story dazed.
Cerrone followed with a knee to the head that dropped Story to the mat, and the fight was stopped at 2 minutes, 2 seconds of the second round.
In the main event, Conor McGregor avenged his only loss in the UFC with a majority decision victory over Nate Diaz.
In a highly anticipated rematch of their two-round welterweight thriller in March, the two put on an action-packed fight, with each taking control at different moments. The judges scored it 48-47, 47-47, 48-47.
McGregor forced the action early, landing multiple leg kicks to Diaz’s lead leg and a straight left that knocked Diaz down. McGregor knocked Diaz down twice more in Round 2, bloodying his nose and taking total control.
Later in Round 2, Diaz found the energy to unleash a flurry of strikes, knocking McGregor down against the fence. Diaz continued to attack in Round 3, and for the final 90 seconds of Round 4, the fighters stood in the center of the cage and exchanged punches.
They traded punches again in the fifth, and neither gained an edge until the final ten seconds, when Diaz secured a trip and landed a few final shots from on top before the bell rang.
