Even though he was technically sprawled out on the floor when it happened, Conor McGregor was never going to take his defeat at UFC 196 lying down.
The Irishman’s hype train came to a crashing halt when he was submitted in the second round by Nate Diaz earlier this month, and it seems he might be given an early chance to redeem himself in a re-match at UFC 200.
At UFC 196, the two faced off as welterweights, with many believing that the extra weight is what caused McGregor’s downfall – including one sports scientist we spoke to.
Diaz himself usually competes at lightweight, but after he took the fight on 10 days’ notice, McGregor apparently told him to “get comfortable” at 170lbs – and could be about to do the same for their next fight.
Speaking on The MMA Hour, UFC expert Ariel Helwani explained that McGregor feels he has something to prove by taking on – and beating – Diaz at welterweight. Rather than go back to featherweight and defending his title, Helwani says the Dubliner wants to make amends for his March 5 defeat.
“By the time that news came out a lot of people said ‘Well, they’re working on it, but there are no contracts.’ I can assure you that the contracts had already been issued,” he said. “Not signed, but anyone who told you that there were no contracts issued thus making it less of a real thing, that was inaccurate.
“Make no mistake about it, the reason this fight is happening at 170 lbs is because, to be frank, Conor McGregor is a bit of a wildman. He is obsessed with the idea that he lost to Nate Diaz at 170 lbs, he feels like he should have won, and he wants the same circumstances. He wants to do it again, and prove that he is the better man.”
It’s a big risk for McGregor to take. Time will tell if it pays off.
