He may have backed Conor McGregor to beat Nate Diaz at UFC 196, but Andre Berto has warned ‘The Notorious’ off chasing an immediate rematch.
30-4 boxer Berto, whose last fight ended in defeat to Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas, has spoken to McGregor since the shock submission against Diaz, but thinks he should wait before going back into the Octagon with the Stockton native.
“I think that he should probably take another fight or two first,” Berto told TMZ Sports, suggesting the Irishman is better off dropping back down to the 145lb weight class in which he still holds a title belt.
“I think he should go back down. I think he’s more effective when he’s disciplined, when he’s cutting weight, when he’s staying on his diet.
“It just does something to the mind of a fighter, and I think he’s the type of fighter that responds to it,” Berto added, and the Haitian-American predicted McGregor will come back better when he does make his return.
McGregor remains the bookies’ favourite to defeat Diaz if and when the pair do meet again, but there seem to be plenty of other options on the table.
A rematch with Jose Aldo – who ‘The Notorious’ beat at UFC 194 – is one of those, while former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar has thrown his hat into the ring.
And Berto certainly seems to feel the Irishman could have more to gain from taking on one of these challengers before potentially making time for a Diaz rematch further down the line.
