Conor McGregor reveals who's the toughest opponent he's ever faced, hints at return to the UFC welterweight division
Conor McGregor has opened up about who the toughest opponent he's ever faced inside the cage. In a Q&A session on Twitter, McGregor said that Nate Diaz is the toughest opponent he's ever fought. Additionally, addressing which weight class he's likely to compete in next, McGregor hinted at a return to 170lbs.
McGregor's most recent fight was a trilogy against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 last July. The fight was contested at lightweight during which McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury and lost via first-round TKO (doctor's stoppage).
The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion has been on an injury hiatus ever since. While it's believed that McGregor could make his much-awaited comeback in February/March 2023, nothing's been officially announced yet.
Meanwhile, Nate Diaz had a fourth-round submission win against Tony Ferguson, whom he faced at UFC 279 last month. The fight was the last on Diaz's UFC contract. The Stockton native subsequently indicated that he'd love to compete in other combat sports such as boxing and BJJ before returning to the UFC.
While a potential fight between longtime rivals Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz is unlikely to materialize in the immediate future, their feud has remained as intense as ever. Nevertheless, during his latest Twitter Q&A session, McGregor gave props to Diaz. In response to being asked who's the toughest opponent he's ever faced, McGregor tweeted, simply:
"Nate [Diaz]."
Nate. twitter.com/4damcfc/status…
Moreover, after injuring his leg in July 2021, McGregor considerably bulked up in the ensuing months. This led to speculations that 'The Notorious' might be planning to leave the lightweight division and return to the welterweight division.
McGregor has further fueled this speculation with his reply to a fan's question about a return to welterweight next. McGregor tweeted:
"Definitely."
Definitely. twitter.com/realdannybrown…
Nate Diaz on a potential trilogy fight with Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor, who's been working hard on his recovery and comeback, has maintained that he's open to a Nate Diaz trilogy clash. Regardless, Diaz has time and again jibed at McGregor, noting that the Irishman ought to first recover from his injury before thinking about fighting him.
That said, during a media scrum after his win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, Nate Diaz emphasized that he'd love to face Conor McGregor in their trilogy matchup. With the fighters currently tied at one win apiece, Diaz said:
"I would love to fight him for the third time. And I've wanted to the whole time. There's no doubt in my mind that me and him are gonna finish that off. And that's for sure one of my biggest scores."
Watch Diaz's assessment below: