Return of The Mac: 3 reasons McGregor will win the Diaz rematch

Nobody wanted Saturday's rematch more than Conor McGregor. Now all he has to do is win.

It might seem odd that "The Notorious" would demand to fight Nate Diaz at the exact same weight as in their first meeting this past March, a bout that ended with McGregor being choked out. But, according to Dana White, McGregor's hellbent on wiping his lone UFC loss from everyone's memories.

At stake is McGregor's reputation as the man who talks mountains of trash - and then backs it up on fight night. If he loses to Diaz again, there won't be a third meeting, and his past and future accomplishments will always be viewed in the shadow of the one man that he could not beat.

Here are three reasons why McGregor will win the most important fight of his life on Saturday at UFC 202 in Las Vegas:

Fool me twice, shame on me

The greatest champions learn from their losses and come back stronger than before. Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and even Jon Jones have blemishes on their records that served to remind them of their fallibility. These failures are what motivated them to turn their weaknesses into strengths.

So what kind of champion is McGregor? If he's a flash in the pan, then this fight will be a repeat of his last against Diaz that McGregor may never recover from. But if he learns from his mistakes, his loss can propel him to legendary heights.

McGregor had twice gone down the losing path before joining the UFC, two stinging defeats that turned him into the fighter he is today. By all accounts, avenging the loss to Diaz has consumed him, and McGregor has already shown that his obsession with success can carry him to a UFC title.

The Mac Life

Say what you want about McGregor trying to start his own news site, but it did give him an outlet to share his overhauled training regimen, which he changed in response to his disappointing performance at UFC 196.

It seemed like the featherweight champion released videos every day showing him sparring with high-level boxers, rolling with Brazilian jiu-jitsu masters, and learning from whoever they could bring into camp to sharpen McGregor's already considerable skills.

Don't discount head coach John Kavanagh's revelation that this is the first time McGregor has trained for a specific opponent. As silly as it may sound that they haven't done so before, a change like that could be just the edge that McGregor needs to get past Diaz.

Southpaw power

One thing McGregor knows is that he can hurt Diaz. While Diaz's already weathered face usually makes his condition look worse than it actually is, there's no questioning that McGregor landed heavy shots in Round 1 of their first fight.

And the fact remains he did win that first round (although it's an exaggeration to say McGregor "dominated" or "destroyed" Diaz before gassing out). As determined as he is to go for a finish in the rematch, all he has to do is win three of five rounds, and he's already proven that he knows how to outscore Diaz.

McGregor needs to be the disciplined boxer who outstruck Max Holloway while dealing with an injured knee, not the headhunter who managed to KO an uncharacteristically reckless Jose Aldo with a single punch. If he really wants to prove that he's the superior fighter, the best way to do it isn't a flashy finish, but a complete 25-minute performance that leaves no doubt who the better man is.

Related: Stockton slap: 3 reasons Diaz will beat McGregor, again