5 reasons why Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3 may be a bad matchup for the Irishman

4) Conor McGregor's preference for early finishes

The majority of Conor McGregor's professional MMA victories have come in the early rounds. McGregor is usually the aggressor in most of his fights, controlling the center and landing powerful counter-punches.

But this approach leaves more room for mistakes against long-haul opponents such as Nate Diaz. When striking with the intent to knock an opponent out, McGregor uses up a lot of energy. Conor McGregor prefers to make very frequent use of powerful strikes. 'Notorious' is bound to gas out earlier than Diaz, a bit later than his previous fights due to his improved cardio and endurance, but he will gas out nonetheless.

Nate Diaz, on the other hand, makes more economical use of volume punches in his fights. He strikes at 50% power throughout the fight and lands the decisive blows or submissions only in the later rounds when his opponents get tired. He is known for having a chin strong enough to take plenty of his opponent's most powerful strikes. A combination of his chin and gas tank is a deadly recipe to pull McGregor into the later rounds. Diaz's first victory over McGregor came similarly, through submission in the second round.

In his predictions for the Irishman's third fight against Poirier, McGregor's arch-nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov also pointed out this flaw in McGregor's game. Nurmagomedov said:

"I think McGregor takes the first round. If it goes past the first, it's Poirier's."

3) Conor McGregor has a questionable chin

Up until his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor's chin was never put to the test in a true sense. His distance management and head movement rarely allowed his opponents to land punches in the face. Add to that the fact that he finished his fights early by knocking his opponents out.

In the Irishman's first professional boxing match, Mayweather dragged the fight into the tenth round when McGregor was exhausted. The referee called the fight in Mayweather's favor after 'Notorious' failed to defend from punches out of exhaustion and being dazed.

After making his return to the octagon at UFC 229 against Khabib Nurmagomedov, his Dagestani opponent wobbled the Irishman and gave him rubber legs. In what was a surprise to many, 'The Eagle' landed the only knockdown of the fight when he dropped Conor McGregor with an overhand right in the second round.

In his second match against Conor McGregor at UFC 257, Dustin Poirier made McGregor's movements sluggish by working on his lead leg with calf kicks. 'The Diamond' handed the Irishman his first knockout loss in professional MMA in the second round.

This proved that it was largely McGregor's distance management and head movement that kept his chin from being tested.