Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor 3: What the Irishman has to say about it
Conor McGregor wants to settle his rivalry with Nate Diaz in a trilogy fight in the lightweight division and said he'd love it if there was a title on the line as well.
After fighting each other twice, Diaz and McGregor are tied with one win each. Over the years, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding a rivalry-settling trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz but nothing has come to fruition yet.
However, now that Dana White has announced that Diaz will be returning to the UFC in 2021 as a lightweight, Conor McGregor is more than interested in making the trilogy fight happen. Speaking to The Mac Life recently, McGregor said that he'd like to be the first guy to welcome Diaz back to the octagon if it's at 155lbs.
McGregor also said that he'd be glad if he got to fight Nate with the lightweight title on the line.
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“I’d love to compete against Diaz. We will compete again. If it happens at lightweight for a title, that would be something special, also. I think if he’s going to come down to 155, he should come down for me to be honest with you. 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." Said McGregor.
The Conor McGregor-Nate Diaz rivalry
Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor has to be one of the most storied rivalries in UFC history. McGregor and Diaz's pair fought each other at UFC 196 and UFC 202 in a pair of grudge matches which captured the attention of fight fans across the globe. To date, Diaz vs McGregor remains one of the most talked-about fights ever.
The rivalry started when Diaz called out McGregor following his win over Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 17 in Orlando, Florida. Diaz's famous rant accusing the Irishman of taking everything he's working for caught McGregor's attention, but the fight hadn't materialized yet.
However, the matchup finally came about when Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of a lightweight title fight against Conor McGregor. Nate Diaz was game to take the fight on short notice, but at 170lbs, which was an unfamiliar weight class for McGregor back then. At UFC 196, Diaz shook up the world by submitting McGregor in the second round.
Then featherweight champion Conor McGregor immediately demanded a rematch and got his shot at redemption five months later at UFC 202. This time, the fight went the distance and both fighters left it all inside the octagon in a 25-minute long slugfest. However, it was the Irishman who emerged victorious via majority decision, exacting revenge for the loss he suffered earlier.
Though McGregor is looking forward to the trilogy fight against Diaz, he must first deal with another former foe in Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier are set to fight each other in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23.
If Conor McGregor manages to pick up the win against Poirier, he may be booked to fight Diaz for the vacant lightweight title.
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