McGregor feels he owes Diaz a rematch, as the Stockton native gave him one after UFC 196
Conor McGregor winced after FOX Sports presenter Karyn Bryant asked him if he had spotted any up-and-coming fighters in the UFC since he was away.
“The game is full of bums!”
McGregor was back in the four-ounce gloves and back in his domain. Surrounded by his people, with his son Conor Jr. joining him up on stage for the open work-outs at one stage. Asked if his son could be a future UFC champion, the Dubliner stressed that he will be a champ in anything he sets his mind to but joked that he could yet make his mark racing cars.
‘The Notorious’ appears extremely relaxed leading up to UFC 229 and his lightweight title bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov. He is toying with a new way of finishing the reigning champ – knocking him semi-unconscious before mauling him and finishing the fight off on the ground.
After Nurmagomedov, belt or no belt, McGregor spoke again about fighting Anderson Silva and tying up his trilogy with Nate Diaz. The pair are 1-1 after bouts at UFC 196 and 202 and McGregor says they will settle their differences once and for all before he hangs it all up.
The 30-year-old has an interesting proposition for Diaz, and the UFC. He said:
“I’ve got that trilogy with Diaz. I WILL give that man a rematch. He gave me a rematch, I will give him one.
“It’ll be at 155 pounds. But we’ll see because maybe we could spear-head a 165-pound division.
“I do believe we should go 145, 155, 165, 175, 185 and even 195. Why not, why not? They’re stripping everyone of belts, left and right. They stripped me and I only walked out of the damn cage. They didn’t even offer me a fight and I was getting stripped.
“Daniel Cormier was injured and then I got stripped of my second belt [lightweight] because of that reason, just so they can juice up the cards with belts. Well, hey, stick in more weight divisions and more champions. Why not?!”
Diaz teased, in September, that a proposed UFC 230 fight against Dustin Poirier should be for a new 165 lbs belt but the promotion has yet to move on re-jigging their weight divisions. McGregor also claimed that Diaz vs. Poirier should be headling that Madison Square Garden event, next month, instead of Valentina Shevchenko taking on Sijara Eubanks.
More power to both women, he declared, but the Diaz vs. Poirier fight definitely interests him more.
He's Back! @TheNotoriousMMA talks about his return, getting the title back… and fighting Nate Diaz at 165 Lbs? 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ma4KBlRDn1
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) October 4, 2018
The trilogy is happening, but will there be a belt on the line?
Interestingly, McGregor also predicted exactly how he would beat Khabib, saying “I believe I will leave him semi-unconscious, and then maul him myself.”
Thankfully, we won’t have long to wait.
