There’s more to UFC 202 than just Diaz vs. McGregor II: The three fights to look out for

here’s no doubt that the main event rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor is the fight that is drawing all of the attention ahead of UFC 202 in Las Vegas on 20 August.

The first encounter between the two men was an explosive battle which ended with Diaz submitting the Irish superstar, handing McGregor his first defeat inside the Octagon in one of the biggest upsets of the year.

So intrigue is high for the rematch. Everyone wants to know whether Diaz can repeat the feat, or whether McGregor will make the relevant adjustments to overcome the Stockton scrapper.

But aside from the main event, the entire UFC 202 card is packed with excellent match-ups. Here are three more to get excited about.

Rick Story vs. Donald Cerrone – welterweight

Fan favourite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has bounced back from the disappointment of December 2015’s defeat to Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title, by moving up to welterweight and stringing together two straight stoppage victories – the first, a submission win via triangle choke over Alex Oliveira in February, followed by a TKO against Patrick Côté in June.

The long-time Jackson-Winklejohn fighter is known for his exciting kickboxing style and lightning-fast ability to jump on a submission. But against Story at UFC 202, he’ll be taking on a fighter who is the embodiment of durability.

Of his eight career losses, Story has never been knocked out and only once been submitted – by jiu jitsu wizard Demian Maia at UFC 153 in October 2012 – so Cerrone will have to work hard to put him away. The Arizona-based Story is riding a three fight win streak which includes highly impressive victories over Gunnar Nelson and former Strikeforce champion Tarec Safiedine, and “The Horror” would love to add Cerrone to his list of scalps.

Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Texeira – light-heavyweight

Whichever way you chose to analyse it, this fight promises fireworks, as arguably the light-heavyweight division’s two heaviest hitters face off in what stands to be an all-out war.

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is the UFC’s No.2 ranked 205lb fighter and he also possesses the record for most sub-one minute finishes in the organisation’s history with four. The Blackzilians fighter has terrifying knock-out power with excellent take-down defence. After a disappointing title defeat to Daniel Cormier at UFC 187 last year, Johnson has recovered with back-to-back knockout wins over Jimi Manuwa and Ryan Bader, with a total fight time of less than seven minutes.

There is a lot on the line for Glover Texeira at UFC 202: the 36-year-old veteran lost to Jon Jones in his only title-shot to date back in 2014, and this fight against Johnson might represent his last real chance at getting back into championship-contention.

Despite his black belt-level jiu jitsu skills, the Brazilian prefers to work standing up, but with Johnson’s power, it will be interesting to see whether Texeira will try to drag the fight to the mat and look for a submission.

Cody Garbrandt vs. Takeya Mizugaki – bantamweight

Exciting 25-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter Cody “No Love” Garbrandt will put his undefeated record on the line at UFC 202, when he takes on Japanese veteran Takeya Mizugaki. The 9-0 Garbrandt is coming off a momentous first round knockout victory over the much fancied Thomas Almeida, and will be looking to propel himself into title contention with a win over Mizugaki.

Garbrandt has been taken the distance only once in his four UFC outings to date, having finished the other three fights by knockout (twice inside the first round).

Mizugaki hasn’t fought since his September 2015 unanimous decision victory over George Roop, which snapped a two-fight skid for the 32-year-old. Mizugaki has fought a who’s-who of bantamweight stars throughout his career – including current champion Dominic Cruz and former WEC legend Miguel Torres – so this fight should provide an excellent barometer to demonstrate what level Garbrandt is at, and how far he can go.