All the hostility and hard feelings between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz were released marvelously Saturday in a classic, five-round battle won by McGregor’s drive for revenge.

In a technical, rugged and smart performance that answered his disappointment from a March loss to the bigger, heavier Diaz, McGregor won a majority decision by scores of 48-47 (Jeff Mullen), 47-47 (Glenn Trowbridge), 48-47 (Derek Cleary).

McGregor (20-3) scored three knockdowns of Diaz in the first two rounds, survived a vicious Diaz rally in the third and did enough precise punching and clock management in the final two rounds to gain the UFC 202 victory at T-Mobile Arena.

“Surprise, surprise … the king is back,” McGregor said after the decision was read, spinning Diaz’s statement, “I’m not surprised,” after his second-round submission triumph five months earlier.


This time, McGregor didn’t allow Stockton’s Diaz (20-11) to take him down until late in the fifth round.

And after showing he was capable of withstanding Diaz’s best punches during a captivating slugfest that begs for a trilogy, McGregor was able to endure that pressure on the ground, too.

The pair, who cursed heavily at each other all week and engaged in an object-throwing incident to shorten their Wednesday news conference, hugged at the end.

1 / 19 Conor McGregor, left, punches Nate Diaz during their welterweight bout Saturday at UFC 202, which McGregor won by majority decision. (Isaac Brekken / Associated Press) 2 / 19 Conor McGregor, left, and Nate Diaz trade punches in the middle of the octagon during UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 3 / 19 Conor McGregor, left, and Nate Diaz grapple during their welterweight rematch at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 4 / 19 Conor McGregor lands a left to the face of Nate Diaz during their welterweight rematch at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 5 / 19 Nate Diaz strikes Conor McGregor with a left during their welterweight fight at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 6 / 19 Nate Diaz kicks attempts a kick during his welterweight bout against Conor McGregor on Aug. 20, 2016. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 7 / 19 Conor McGregor strikes Nate Diaz with a right during their welterweight rematch at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 8 / 19 Conor McGregor kicks Nate Diaz during their welterweight rematch at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 9 / 19 Conor McGregor celebrates after defeating Nate Diaz in their rematch at UFC 202 on Aug. 20. (Isaac Brekken / Associated Press) 10 / 19 Nate Diaz leaves the octagon after his majority-decision loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 202 on Saturday. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 11 / 19 Anthony Johnson has the upper hand on Glover Teixeira during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 202. (Isaac Brekken / Associated Press) 12 / 19 Anthony Johnson celebrates his first-round knockout win over Glover Teixeira in their light-heavyweight bout at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 13 / 19 Donald Cerrone kicks Rick Story during their welterweight bout at the UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 14 / 19 Rick Story lands on Donald Cerrone as they grapple during their welterweight bout at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 15 / 19 Donald Cerrone, left, connects against Rick Story during their welterweight fight at UFC 202 in Las Vegas. (Isaac Brekken / Associated Press) 16 / 19 Mike Perry throws a right at Hyun Gyu Lim during their welterweight bout at the MGM Grand. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 17 / 19 Mike Perry sends Hyun Gyu Lim to the canvas during their welterweight bout at the UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 18 / 19 Tim Means trades punches with a bloody Sabah Homasi during their welterweight bout at the UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images) 19 / 19 Cody Garbrandt, left, and Takeya Mizugaki square off during their bantamweight fight at UFC 202. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images)


Diaz lifted up the Irishman who possesses the UFC’s featherweight belt, but was bold enough to accept a replacement fight against Diaz at 170 pounds (25 pounds above featherweight) in March.

While he paid the price for that decision — unable to take Diaz’s best punches and tired by the extra weight — a fully fit, stronger McGregor proved his durability.

His own power punch dropped Diaz in the first round, and Diaz was cut near the right eye after the first five minutes.

In the second, McGregor floored Diaz twice more early on with hard punches from a left-handed stance.


McGregor masterfully backed from Diaz’s punches when he wanted and then surprisingly rushed forward to catch the unsuspecting Californian with other strikes.

But Diaz reverted to his first-fight success in the third, landing hard punches and laughing at McGregor as if he was ready to duplicate the earlier shocker. But McGregor didn’t fall to Diaz’s hard combinations, and even a late knee.

Diaz was bleeding under the left eye in the fourth, which McGregor uncannily predicted before the bout, and he turned the momentum by landing a slew of punches to Diaz’s head in the second half of the round, punctuated by Diaz missing a kick and slipping at the end.

“I whittled away, and then I caught my second wind,” McGregor said.


McGregor made it a habit to look at the clock in the second half of the fight, intent to try to stay out of trouble as long as possible while seeking openings for his punches.

Diaz grew so antsy at one point that he gave McGregor the middle finger. But McGregor didn’t cave to the boiling blood that preceded the bout and found his way to the finish, where the judges awarded him sweet redemption.

McGregor said he’d be fine to stage a trilogy, but wants it at the 155-pound lightweight limit, where Diaz is the division’s No. 4 contender.

Earlier, light-heavyweight Anthony Johnson (22-5) stamped himself as the top contender to champion Daniel Cormier by ripping No. 2 Glover Teixeira under the chin with a punch, finishing him with a tomahawk slam on the mat and bringing a stop 13 seconds into the fight.


“I can fight going backwards. I can fight going forward. I can fight,” Johnson said. “I’ve been busting my [rear] to get to the title.”

Cormier watched the bout from next to the octagon and stood up to raise his arms, as if approving the bout.

“Daniel, you’re the man,” Johnson said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com