McGregor-Diaz trade insults in pre-UFC 196 video
McGregor and Diaz trade insults in a newly released interview that was broadcast before UFC 196. Talking about the square-off:
CmG: Nothing, this is just the fight business. He’s lucky he didn’t get his face broke.
ND: You’re lucky you didn’t get choked out with that silly-ass suit mother-f-cker.
CmG: Shut your mouth. Come face-to-face. Come eye-to-eye.
ND: Whatever.
CmG: Putting that first in my face. Afraid to come face-to-face.
ND: Whatever. You’re afraid
CmG: You’ll be left holding that cheek.
ND: Don’t get scared.
Talks about UFC 205, trilogy fight
Diaz talks about McGregor’s performance at UFC 205, saying the UFC is shutting him out.
It’s artificial. It’s good timing for him. They handed it right to him…It’s funny how they left me out of the picture. The fight went exactly as I expected…The UFC didn’t want to give me tickets to this fight…they wanted to keep me out the mix. I was up in in a club box. After the fight everyone turned around and is looking at me…They gave Nick Jonas my seat…Of course [I want No. 3]. I’m not begging for no fight. I don’t need to fight anyone. I don’t even need to do this interview…If they game me all that attention I would take this too…UFC knows that [Fight 3] is a bad idea…Congratulations to Conor, he did a great job, got the two belts.
Diaz: Immediate McGregor rematch unlikely
Speaking to Sonnen on his podcast, Diaz says he doesn’t expect an immediate rematch.
I don’t know [what’s going on behind the scenes]. Remember last time they rushed to his house the next morning and said he was all obsessed or whatever? I was pretty crazy about it for a couple of days, but it’s whatever to me, you know? I won that fight and I’m not like jumping for joy already for round three. I think I beat him twice, so it’s 2-0 as far as I’m concerned. If they want to do it down the road, I don’t know – I’m not in a hurry. I believe they know too, because he’s got a smart coach on his hands. Him and his coach know what happened in the fight and they’re not stupid, so I think they are going to do what they can to return to his division and get onto a new stage.
Backstage interview
McGregor gives a backstage interview. On what he said to Diaz.
You’re a f-ckin’ absolute warrior. Respect. We’ll do it again.
Will trilogy be his next fight?
Probably not. The belt situation is lingering. I’ve gotta talk about what’s next. I’m speaking to new people right now. There’s a lot of options. And some might not be this sport.
About Diaz comments that he was ‘running away’:
He’s a big boy. A big volume puncher. I had to get out of there, being the beats down and settle myself. But he’ll drop too. I was on my feet the whole time. I wasn’t wobbled or nothing… Fair play to him…The class was evident in the early rounds of that fight. His size and his durability came into it in the later rounds. But I’m the better fighter, it’s as simple as that.
Post-fight interview
Diaz gives a post-fight interview.
I thought I won, at least three rounds to two. I didn’t even think that was a question. And they gave it to him. I’m not bitter, it’s all good. I got paid…He did a lot of running in that fight. He should have got a yellow card for that type of thing. I chased him round that thing. He was scared to engage. I feel like they should have taken points for that…To top it off I was injured coming into this fight. That ain’t some excuses. I hurt my knee about a month ago I wasn’t able to train jiu-jitsu for the last month. And then about two weeks after that I was sparring boxing and I really hurt my rib. That put me out of sparring. Not to make excuses, I got that all on videoed up. He should have finished me off. If I was fighting me I’d have took me clean out…I just stayed in one spot. He was running laps around me.
On the third fight at 155:
I’ve been at 155 my whole career! When Conor’s ready to do his thing again, no rush, take your time, go on vacation, or we can do it any time.
Did you enjoy it in there?
No. Look at my face.
White: An ‘epic fight’
White appears on ESPN to talk about McGregor-Diaz UFC 2o2.
It lived up to all my expectations, and exceeded it. I didn’t see that fight going five rounds, but it did. One minute it looked like Conor was gassed, and he got a second wind. Diaz got dropped a couple of times, looked like he was done, and he came back. It’s an absolute epic fight. [Conor] did what I thought he might do. He was chopping that leg. I thought he would go to the body a lot more.
On a third fight:
Well Connor has to defend his title or give it up…If I was Conor I would defend my title.
McGregor: Diaz was lucky
In an interview with MMA Podcast, McGregor says Diaz was lucky.
I truly believe…all you got to do is look at his corner. How they went from panic to elation. They were jumping around, like they had literally won the lotto, when Nate was beginning to get the upper hand. Whereas if you look at my corner, it was emotionless from start to finish. They got lucky. That’s what we feel. August 20 I will prove that.
On his attitude to the upcoming fight:
This is most certainly not another fight. We have been going to war every single day in the gym. This is a war for me.
Diaz: ‘I’m really taking over’ if I beat McGregor
In an interview with Olivi, Diaz says the fast rematch with McGregor is the UFC’s way of erasing the results of the first fight so that the biggest moneymaker in the sport can regain the spotlight..
When it first got booked, I was like, ‘Man, they want to get me right back in there again and try to win this back and weed me out again…Can I sit back for eight months and soak up some popularity and exposure and go on vacation and do what I gotta do? They were like, ‘We want this,’ and I was like why so quick? But I was like, whatever, and then the deals got done.” [To win] I’m going to prepare, that’s about it. We’re going to see. The same thing I always say: My objective is to win, I’m going to train hard and try to get it done. I believe I’m the superior martial artist and I’m just going to go in there and get the job done. My plan is to win and do good, work hard and win the fight.
Diaz: The UFC created McGregor
Diaz tells Whitlock that McGregor’s fame is due to the UFC pushing his image.
Well that’s what the UFC did. They pushed his fan base and put all their energy and exposure on him. Like I said, I’ve been fighting a long time. They haven’t been (doing it for me) and they now can’t deny it. Look, they got me up here with you because I beat the guy.
Alvarez: UFC 202 a ‘bullshit freakshow’
In an interview with MMA Hour, Alvarez says the Diaz-McGregor UFC 202 fight is a ‘freakshow’.
I’ll be there with a bull horn ringside to that freakshow. The least-best lightweights in the division and they are the highest paid. It’s bullshit. These guys are making the highest dollars, they are both considered lightweights, I guess. They are making the highest dollars of all of us and you have guys like Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, myself, like real top-level guys who are just kind of getting by. These two guys need to get taken out and taken out viciously so we can get some of that money.
Alvarez: McGregor beat himself with overconfindence
Alvarez says that McGregor wasn’t beaten by Diaz.
Diaz didn’t beat him that night. Conor beat himself, his overconfidence. Moving up in weight with that overconfidence, that’s what made him lose. But if he takes things seriously, I think it will be a different fight.
White looking at other fights for McGregor
In an interview on FOX Sports 1’s The Herd, White says the UFC has begun looking at alternative opponents for McGregor’s next fight after unsuccessfully trying to reach a deal with Diaz.
It’s just madness. It’s just been tough. It’s been a tough go-through, so we’re looking at another fight for Conor right now and we’ll see how this thing comes together. But Conor is just so obsessed with Diaz at 170, it’s been crazy. The reality is that since that Conor McGregor fight — obviously when you win a fight of that magnitude, it has definitely rubbed off on Nate. People do want to see Nate fight. People do want to see this fight again, and I’m one of those guys who, I want to make the fight that people want to see, and I believe people do want to see this fight. But, people do want to see Conor McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar or Jose Aldo again too. I’m sure they would want to see him fight Rafael dos Anjos at 155 for that title, so there’s a lot of fights out there for Conor, if we can’t get this Nate fight done.
White: McGregor ‘obsessed’ with fighting Diaz
In an interview with ESPN’s Sportscenter, White says that he is working on McGregor-Diaz matchup.
We’re working on what’s next for him. We’re trying to set up a fight right now. It’s been a little challenging. Obviously the fight he would love to do is the rematch with Nate Diaz. I’m trying to get the deal done…Conor is obsessed with this rematch. I don’t know why, but he is. It’s just his type of personality. He’s obsessed with it. He’s obsessed with fighting Diaz again – at 170 pounds. I don’t know if [the fight] will ever happen, but I’m trying.
Diaz: McGregor-Mayweather talk cover up for an ‘ass whooping’
In an interview on MMA Hour, Diaz says the UFC is targeting the McGregor rematch for UFC 202. Diaz:
I’ll whoop both McGregor and Mayweather in the same night. Now they’re talking that Mayweather shit, it’s all a cover up. It’s all trying to hide the fact that he got his ass whooped and that they want to buy him more time to get better if we are going to fight. I think the Mayweather thing’s a publicity stunt…I’m the only one out of the three of us that will say I will whoop both of their asses in one night. Cause Conor can’t say that. Floyd definitely cannot say that. You want a real fight, put me with one of those boxers and I guarantee you I can beat them in boxing.
On fight negotiations with Dana White:
I said that was one of the biggest fights you’ve ever had on 10 days’ notice, and he’s the biggest draw that you’ve ever had and I just beat your biggest draw. So if you don’t mind, I would like to be compensated better than I was the last time or what they were trying to offer me.
Schilling: Diaz ‘humbled, humiliated’ McGregor
In an interview with MMA Underground Schilling talks about Diaz’s approach to fighting McGregor.
There is no way that any consummate professional is going to go out there and blow his wad in the first round – unless you’re Conor McGregor and you go out there and blow your wad in the first round…So, Nate’s game plan was to go out there, not get knocked-out, but not waste any energy, and pick up as the rounds went on, because you have to go five rounds. You look at Nick and Nate’s style of fighting – they don’t ever do that well in the first round. They set a pace and then they drown you in it and then by the third, fourth round, guys are shooting for takedowns because they can’t stand getting hit anymore.
On the upcoming UFC 200 fight:
It’s going to be the same fight. I think it’s so obvious the holes in Conor’s game, they were all over the place. I think the skillset that Nate has is far superior to Conor’s and Nate having a full training camp is just way different…if you’re in there with someone you look up to, and you’re intimidated by, and you’re scared of, and talking all this sh-t about, your adrenaline is going to get (expletive) really bad and you’re going to try and knock him out in the first round. And, you’re going to lose like it did the last time.
On McGregor’s “humble in victory and defeat” attitude:
No, he got humbled, and humiliated. There is a big difference between being humble, and being humbled. There’s a big difference.
UFC 196: Octagon interview
Diaz and McGregor are interviewed directly after the fight. Diaz:
I’m not surprised…I know it was gonna be a slow start for me…He had some good punches, and he landed them, so good on him…I’m an athlete, a warrior, we should all be ready to fight, even on our worst days.
McGregor:
I took the chance going at 170. I felt I took him in the first round…but I was inefficient with my energy. I’m humble in victory and in defeat…I took a chance, came up weight, it didn’t work out. I’ll face it like a man, like a champion, and come back and do it again.
