Nate Diaz backs Conor McGregor's withdrawal from UFC 303 fight against Michael Chandler: "Good idea"
Nate Diaz recently voiced his opinion on Conor McGregor's withdrawal from UFC 303. Diaz supported McGregor's decision to pull out of his scheduled bout against Michael Chandler in the pay-per-view's main event on June 29.
McGregor, who was set to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon against Chandler during International Fight Week, withdrew himself from the bout. While addressing the matter, UFC CEO Dana White disclosed that McGregor sustained an injury during a training session.
Many, including UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, and UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen, have taken advantage of McGregor's injury to criticize him. However, Diaz believes the Irishman made the correct decision by waiting to compete until he's fully recovered from his injured toe. In a recent interview with Nolan King of MMA Junkie, Diaz stated:
''I think it was just a minor thing. I think they made a bigger deal out of it than it is. Good idea. If I get f*cked up, I would like to push the fight back too, but people f*cking freak out. I think I wouldn’t want to fight until I’m 100 percent ready to rock too, because in the past I’ve done all kinds of sh*t I shouldn’t have done.''
Check out Nate Diaz's comments below:
In a recent interview with Severe MMA, 'The Notorious' provided details about the extent of the injury and when he expects to return.
''It is tough, but we keep it dialed in. I was kind of looking forward to getting the fight wrapped up on June 29, having a nice celebration on my birthday, and then dialing back in for September or October... something like that."
McGregor added:
''Everything is moving parts. The injury is a nuisance. I'm not going to lie, it's very very painful. Probably even more painful than the leg and that's the truth.''
Check out Conor McGregor's comments below (0:36):
Nate Diaz discusses potential trilogy fight with Conor McGregor
In order to rekindle their rivalry, Nate Diaz may try to ultimately get a third fight with Conor McGregor if his rematch with Jorge Masvidal goes smoothly.
In order to rejoin the organization, Diaz would need to arrange a deal. McGregor, who has two fights left on his contract with the organization, has expressed a desire for the trilogy match in the past.
In the aforementioned interview, Diaz shared his thoughts on a third fight with McGregor.
''Yeah, we’ll see what happens with time, you know? It depends on what happens with my fight, his fight, UFC. I ain’t a fortune teller, you know what I’m saying? We’ll see what happens.”