MMA
Conor McGregor says he'd 'love' Nate Diaz trilogy fight
Conor McGregor's done it all.
He was the first UFC dual champion, headlined the UFC's first show at Madison Square Garden, ventured into boxing and faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a fight that generated over 4.4 million pay-per-view buys, came out with a successful whiskey (Proper No. 12), and is one of the most famous male athletes in the world.
However, there could be some unfinished business in the Octagon. The one opponent people want McGregor to run it back with is Nate Diaz.
Their first bout came at the last minute when McGregor had been set to face then-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196. dos Anjos bowed out due to injury. Needing a viable opponent, the UFC went to Diaz.
The trash-talking native of Stockton, Calif., shocked the world, submitting McGregor in the second round. Five months later, in what turned out to be at the time the biggest buyrate in UFC history, McGregor beat Diaz in a back-and-forth battle via majority decision at UFC 202. A trilogy has been discussed but has never materialized.
UFC president Dana White brought up this week the idea of Diaz returning to the Octagon in 2021 and at 155 pounds. Options are endless for one of the UFC's biggest stars. But the biggest one of them all would relish the opportunity to give the fans what they want and run it back one more time.
"I'd love to compete against Diaz," McGregor told the MacLife. "We will compete again. If it happens at lightweight for a title, that would be something special, also. There's many great options that are in the works, and let's see what happens. I am ready."
When McGregor heard that White is talking with Diaz about a return, McGregor perked up. To McGregor, it doesn't matter what weight class the trilogy occurs, and if White presents him the fight, he won't pass.
"I think if he's going to come down to 155, he should come down for me, to be honest with you," McGregor said. "I hear maybe giving him a shot in there, but Nate's a warrior, Nate's a goer. Nate shows up, steps up, and fights. It's not necessary. I feel to have him fight at 155 against another contender. I feel maybe it should be me and Nate. If he's going to do 155, we could possibly do that for the belt.
"If not, I'd probably just fight Nate at 170 pounds again. Reason being, we fought at 170 twice. Why mix it up for the trilogy? If there's belts and titles and loftier things on the line for certain, a 155-pound challenge with Nate would be something. Many great fights and many great options, and I'm very excited about every single one of them."
