How can you not get romantic about UFC 196’s main event after watching this?
Episode four of UFC 196 Embedded has dropped and it gives us a reminder of exactly what makes Sunday morning’s main event so special.
It opens with Conor McGregor in his Las Vegas mansion eating a hearty breakfast before flaunting his two luxury Rolls Royces to Daniel Cormier and Kenny Florian on UFC Tonight via video feed.
We then cut to the open workouts where the featherweight champion absorbs the limelight like a sponge, posing for selfies and signing autographs for fans. He works some flashy striking drills and bows to the crowd before walking off, like a thespian after a performance.
The underdog Nate Diaz then shows up, gives the peace sign to the crowd and he drills submissions and ground and pound. He shouts something incomprehensible into Megan Olivi’s microphone before we take a brief recess to focus on the only title fight on the card between Holly Holm and Miesha Tate.
While the women’s bantamweight title fight is arguably the more intriguing contest stylistically, all the focus on fight has been on the headline act. Tate and Holm seem content with having their thunder stolen as they calmly put on their workout exhibition, with the champion even showcasing some new dance with a young fan moves on stage.
The next couple of minutes really showcases the differences between Diaz and McGregor, starting with their chosen mode of transport. Diaz arrives at the supermarket by taxi, the driver, who had clearly taken a shining to the Stockton native, excitedly tells the fighter to “whoop his ass”. He has another friendly encounter with a fan inside the shop before it cuts back to him putting in the hard work in the gym.
Finally, we seethe Notorious putting on a jacket to complete one of his three-piece suit ensembles.He makes sure the outfit is pristine in a massive mirror hanging inside the mansion. “This is a suit,” he proclaims before taking his breakfast and eating it in his Rolls Royce.
