"They could go off, do their own fight, make it a mega-fight, and split the pot" - Michael Bisping talks possibility of Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3 taking place outside the UFC
Michael Bisping has addressed the possibility of the long-awaited trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz taking place outside the UFC. Diaz is fresh off a fourth-round submission win over Tony Ferguson in a thrilling welterweight bout. Their fight headlined the UFC 279 event on September 10th and was the last one on Diaz's UFC contract.
The Stockton native is now a free agent. Diaz has hinted that he might compete in different MMA organizations and other combat sports too, particularly in boxing. On BT Sport's UFC 279 Review Show, Michael Bisping, Adam Catterall, and Nick Peet seemingly concurred that Diaz could return to the UFC for a possible McGregor trilogy fight.
Nate Diaz taps out Tony Ferguson in the 4th round.
#UFC279 https://t.co/SMah2OZoP2
Alternatively, Bisping pointed out that by co-promoting their own trilogy fight outside the UFC, Diaz and McGregor could earn bigger paydays than they've ever made in their UFC fights. However, he highlighted that the UFC still has McGregor under contract and won't let him co-promote his own fight against Diaz outside the organization.
"I don't know the status of his [McGregor's UFC] contract. But he's under contract. Okay? And until he's a free agent, they [McGregor and Diaz] can't entertain putting on their own promotion because, of course, I'm sure that's what they're thinking. Conor and Nate do it together -- Paradigm Sports Management, Audie Attar, very, very smart people. Nate Diaz has probably got a great team."
The former middleweight champion added:
"They could go off, do their own fight, make it a mega-fight, and split the pot; take it all to themselves. But it's not that simple because Conor's still under contract. So, Nate might be sitting around for a few years. You know, there's too many pieces in the pie."
Watch Bisping discuss the topic at 14:46 in the video below:
Nate Diaz vows to finish his trilogy with Conor McGregor
As of late, both Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor have consistently maintained that they'll surely complete their trilogy. Presently, their series of MMA fights stands at one win apiece, with both fights having taken place in the UFC. McGregor is likely to return from his injury hiatus no sooner than February/March 2023.
Meanwhile, the belief is that Diaz could face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a professional boxing match in the near future. Furthermore, during an interview with BT Sport after UFC 279, the MMA megastar was asked if he'd return for a one-off UFC fight with McGregor. Diaz replied by saying:
"I would love to fight him for the third time. And I've wanted to the whole time." Reiterating that he'll undoubtedly end their trilogy, he added, "That's for sure one of my biggest scores."
Watch Diaz's assessment at 3:46 in the video below: