5 fighters who successfully stole the show on a Conor McGregor fight card

#2. Nate Diaz - UFC 196

If Conor McGregor's second fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 was a forgone conclusion in the Irishman's favor, 'The Notorious's first fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 196 was expected to be the easiest win of his career.

Diaz has been an inconsistent fighter throughout his entire career, having won a fair amount of big fights while losing often enough that his drawbacks as a mixed martial artist were well-documented. At the time, Conor McGregor was fresh off his win over the legendary Jose Aldo. He was a UFC champion, whereas Diaz had already suffered eight losses in his UFC career.

Everyone expected Conor McGregor to make short work of Diaz, especially when considering that his foe was a late-notice replacement for the injured Rafael dos Anjos. However, when the fight materialized, the Stockton legend shocked the world by forcing the Irishman to tap out to a rear-naked choke in the second round.

Diaz, in what has become one of the most viewed post-fight interviews on YouTube, famously claimed to have not been surprised by the results. The win earned the multi-divisional contender a new legion of fans and superstardom in the UFC, making him one of the promotion's most reliable draws and igniting one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history.

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#1. Sean O'Malley - UFC 269

At UFC 269, Conor McGregor was determined to avenge his loss to Dustin Poirier. 'The Notorious' and his fans believed Poirier's victory in the first rematch was a fluke and that Conor McGregor only needed to make minor adjustments to set things right.

The adjustments he did make were simple—everyone believed that all the Irishman needed to do was check Poirier's calf kicks. However, this failed to acknowledge the check hooks that 'The Diamond' had used as counters, the feints that drew out McGregor's straight left-counter, and much more.

When the bout took place, the Irishman suffered the same issues he had in their second fight. Poirier no longer had the uncertainty of fighting a man who had bested him in their first outing, so his success came even quicker. While the bout ended with a shocking injury for the Irishman, his performance couldn't have been any worse.

Elsewhere on the fight card, however, Sean O'Malley put forth a star-making performance against Kris Moutinho, showcasing his entire striking arsenal in a beatdown as one-sided as MMA fans regularly see. Moutinho, too tough for his own good, was mercifully saved from taking unnecessary damage by the referee. O'Malley's popularity surged due to his performance, formally introducing himself to a casual fanbase that favors fighters cut from his promotional cloth.