A look back at the rivalry between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz

Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are currently in different places career-wise. The Irishman is expected to face three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler in his return bout since being sidelined by a catastrophic leg injury back in 2021.

Meanwhile, Nate Diaz has left the UFC and is gearing up for a boxing match against the star of influencer boxing, Jake Paul. In a recent appearance on Bradley Martyn's Raw Talk, Diaz took exception to some of Paul's previous comments about McGregor and claimed that he was going to beat him on behalf of all pro-fighters.

It was an interesting comment that highlights the unique and historic rivalry between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor, especially after the Stockton MMA cult icon also promised to return to the UFC. This could set up the potential trilogy bout both men have shown interest in. So, how did their rivalry begin?

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz I: UFC 196

Back in 2015, Conor McGregor was on top of the MMA world. He began the year by securing a featherweight title fight against José Aldo with a second-round TKO over Dennis Siver. Unfortunately, his subsequent bout was not for undisputed gold, as his previously scheduled matchup with Aldo fell apart.

The Brazilian great had fractured his rib, leaving him unable to make the walk into the octagon. The UFC replaced him with Chad Mendes, booking an interim featherweight title bout at UFC 189. The clash was not the typical Conor McGregor performance, where he steamrolled his foe with supreme ease.

Instead, it was a hard-fought one that saw 'The Notorious' prove his championship heart before scoring a second-round TKO over a man who had twice gone to war with Aldo. The Irishman was crowned the division's interim king, but would then have to defend his claim against the true ruler of the 145-pound weight class.

At UFC 194, he did just that and needed no more than 13 seconds to slide out of range and snipe José Aldo with a counter straight left as the Brazilian lunged into range. It was and remains the fastest knockout in UFC championship history. In the aftermath of his historic win, McGregor made his intentions clear.

He was gunning for the UFC lightweight title.

BREAKING: Rafael dos Anjos withdraws (broken foot) from UFC 196 title fight vs Conor McGregor. (via @MMAFighting) pic.twitter.com/26y8bi7NhF

In late 2015, Rafael dos Anjos was the lightweight titleholder, having claimed it after a five-round annihilation of Anthony Pettis. He subsequently defended his divisional crown with a first-round TKO over Donald Cerrone. A matchup between him and McGregor was next, being booked for UFC 196 in 2016.

But after a press conference to generate hype for the bout, 'RDA' withdrew from the fight due to a fractured foot. With only 11 days to find someone to step in his place, the UFC contacted Nate Diaz. The Stockton native had no qualms with facing McGregor, having previously called him out in a post-fight interview.

He accepted the UFC's offer and arrived at a press conference where he and Conor McGregor had a clash of personalities. The Irishman was a trash-talker who radiated an overstated sense of confidence. Meanwhile, Diaz carried himself as a foul-mouthed gangster with a 'kill or be killed' mentality.

Alternate angle of Nate Diaz’s iconic bloody face pose at UFC 196 (2016) pic.twitter.com/RsUciozhZo

The two men traded barbs, with Nate Diaz famously declaring that everyone in the UFC abused PEDs. However, the time for trash talk came to a quick end and their UFC 196 bout arrived. The first round of their fight was clearly McGregor's to win. He started fast, battering and busting his foe up with power punches aplenty.

However, he made the mistake of trying to land high-risk, high-reward kicks, depleting his cardio in the process. Meanwhile, Diaz carefully rolled with his foe's punches, rarely taking them flush. By the time of the second round, McGregor was already exhausted.

Diaz upped his volume, swarming him in the clinch before a fateful one-two combination rocked the Irishman. Conor McGregor stumbled, shot an ill-timed takedown, and was forced to submit to a rear-naked choke. It was the biggest upset of 2016 and was punctuated by Nate Diaz's most well-known quote.

"I'm not surprised motherf******"

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II: UFC 202

Before 2016, Conor McGregor hadn't lost an MMA bout since 2010. He was on a 15-fight win streak that stretched across Cage Warriors and the UFC. Featherweight GOAT José Aldo couldn't stop him, but a short-notice replacement with 10 losses on his record did.

In the aftermath of his bitter loss, 'The Notorious' put his plans for UFC double champion status on hold. He needed to avenge his loss, and his rematch with Nate Diaz was scheduled for UFC 200, which also marked the promotion's final event under the ownership of the Fertitta brothers.

Consumed by the rematch, McGregor tried to limit his media obligations to devote all of his time to preparing for Diaz. A second loss, to the same man, no less, would have been disastrous to his future plans. Interestingly, this highlighted one of the rare moments when McGregor found that he was not bigger than the UFC.

UFC president Dana White was unimpressed, and the promotion threatened to pull him from UFC 200 if he refused to attend a pre-fight press conference. McGregor responded with a threat, tweeting his sudden retirement, the first of several. But the UFC gave him no quarter, and McGregor was removed from the card.

The trash talk and the face off before the rematch 😤

#OnThisDay in 2016: Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz went face to face at the UFC 202 press conference!

Would you want to see them do it a third time?!

📺📱 Watch their iconic fights on @UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/FibrOyJ4vM

After the event, cooler heads prevailed and Conor McGregor was announced as Nate Diaz's opponent for the UFC 202 headliner. The leadup to their bout was full of iconic moments, ranging from Diaz promising to show what a full camp's worth of training could lead to in the rematch to a bottle-throwing melee at a pre-fight press conference.

When the dust settled, the two men squared off inside the octagon. For Conor McGregor, he was under even more pressure than when he fought for his first-ever UFC title. For Nate Diaz, all he had to do was what he had already done on 11 days notice. Little did he know that 'The Notorious' came well-prepared.

The first round saw a more composed McGregor, who was wary of leaning too far forward against a taller foe and being countered on his way into range. Instead, he used his longest weapon—his leg—to land low kicks on the nearest target: Diaz's lead leg, which, due to his boxing stance, was overexposed.

McGregor landed his low kicks with authority, destabilizing his foe's stance and forcing him to reset. When Diaz tried to reset his stance, the Irishman threw his punches over the top, cracking him when his footing was weakest. With the threat of low kicks planted in his mind, Diaz couldn't roll with his punches as easily.

Aug20.2016

2 years ago today,

Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz competed in an instant classic. pic.twitter.com/oZdNEo8Kzc

Now, Diaz was concerned with his lead leg and it made his chin a more stationary target, allowing Conor McGregor to land his straight left clean, dropping him three different times throughout the bout. Once in the first round, twice in the second. But, his gas tank couldn't meet the demands of the pace he was setting.

Eventually, he tired and Nate Diaz grew into the bout, smothering the Irishman's punches and battering him in the clinch. He applied more forward pressure, forcing his foe on the back foot, making the bout more competitive than the early rounds indicated.

But after five hard rounds, McGregor was declared the winner, and he let the world know it with his own retort to Diaz's most famous quote.

"Surprise, surprise, motherf*****! The king is back!"

A trilogy bout between the two remains a possibility, as both men aim to close out their rivalry. First, Nate Diaz must get past Jake Paul on August 5, while Conor McGregor must make his expected octagon return against Michael Chandler. Only then could the two men potentially share the octagon for the last time.