Diaz: McGregor is ‘scared for his life’
On his way to a party at Coachella, Diaz is asked if it’s true there is going to be a trilogy fight with McGregor.
[He’s] scared for his life.
Coach Kavanagh targets St. Patrick’s Day in New York for McGregor’s next fight
Coach Kavanagh says March 17th at Madison Square Garden in New York is a possible date for McGregor’s next fight. Reports last month suggested that McGregor had booked a comeback bout with Nate Diaz that was initially scheduled for December 30th at UFC 219. According to leading MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, that fight and date is still the plan for all parties concerned, but a deal is still far from being finalised. Appearing on The Late Late Show, Kavanagh hinted at an alternative date of March 17th:
We’re already talking about 2018 and some fights in 2018. I’m looking forward to getting him back in the gym and back into the rigmarole of training. I think that’s best for him. I keep saying it out there – so hopefully it becomes a reality – but I would love Madison Square Garden, St. Patrick’s Day, New York, for a Conor fight in the UFC.
Dana White gives update on McGregor-Diaz III
Talk of a series decider between McGregor and Diaz that would headline UFC 219, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 30, is dismissed by White. White categorically denies the rumours of McGregor vs Diaz III being set by tweeting:
Not true AT ALL.
Not true AT ALL
— danawhite (@danawhite) September 24, 2017
Tony Ferguson: McGregor and Diaz are pussies for not fighting
McGregor and Diaz have both been on Ferguson’s radar ever since his proposed interim lightweight title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov fell through. Ferguson was offered a summer bout with Diaz, but Diaz pulled out of the proposed fight, leading Ferguson to call him a ‘bitch’. Ferguson is also upset that McGregor has not come back to MMA to fight him.
Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor] are a bunch of b****es. They want to go and they want to talk – look, we can f*****g put this s**t out on video and we can make this a money fight. If you guys really wanna get gangster, let’s do that sh-t. If you want to f*****g put on money, let’s put it on paper…Nate, I will f****n’ Stockton slap the sh-t out of you, kid. You don’t f*****g know me, dude. Straight up. Same thing with Conor McGregor…You guys are a bunch of b****es, and you guys are a bunch of fakes. If you wanna’ fight while we’re here in the UFC, why don’t you come and sign on the dotted line after you get your sh-t together and defend your f*****g belt, Conor?
Ferguson on possible McGregor-Diaz III: I will Stockton slap the s**t out of Nate
Should Ferguson win the interim lightweight belt at UFC 216 against Kevin Lee, he would expect to be first to face current UFC lightweight champion McGregor, whenever McGregor decides to return to MMA. But rumors, and McGregor’s coaching staff, suggest that McGregor will complete his trilogy with Diaz when he next defends his lightweight belt. Ferguson says the UFC needs to honor his belt and make McGregor face him should he win.
I believe that they absolutely need to. If that’s my belt and he has the belt, they need to unify both belts. F**k that Nate Diaz three shit. Both those b**ches f**in – they want to try and act like they want to go and make money. Nate don’t want to fight. He’s trying to recover from a f**king hit that he took with his management and all that other things. McGregor’s gotta defend or vacate. He’s gotta defend that belt, he needs to come back. If not, there goes his legacy, there goes the UFC s**t. I mean, really, legitimately, why do we have rankings? Why do we have a belt system? Why do we have all this other stuff?
Diaz coach: ‘McGregor’s not gonna have a chance’
As talk of a trilogy match between McGregor and Diaz hots up, Diaz’ coach Perez, believes McGregor will suffer his second UFC loss:
If Nathan goes through training camp with no injuries, McGregor’s not gonna have a chance… I mean, they think McGregor can box, Nathan can box. Right now in the last two fights he fought him, the first time was 11-day notice, so it wasn’t enough time but it was enough time to get a win. Second time he got injured so he had to lay back, so it put him back as far as being in shape and being accurate in timing. And people were thinking, ‘oh, he’s gonna come back and be better,’ no, they don’t see the outcome of it, the true outcome of what happened…These guys are true warriors, they go out there and still fight. So as far as McGregor coming out in the cage if he fights Nathan and Nathan gets in shape, it should be a good fight, a great fight, because Nathan can move and he’s got great footwork and he can throw a lot of combinations and make McGregor miss, counter off of it, use his reach.
Coach: Diaz ‘needs to get paid at least $30 million’ for McGregor trilogy
Diaz’s boxing coach Richard Perez says he hopes the big payout for McGregor from the Mayweather fight, could mean more money for his future UFC opponents, particularly Diaz. Diaz’ last two UFC fights were against McGregor in 2016, and he made $2.6 million dollars in those bouts combined. After seeing what McGregor made against Mayweather, and the potential money that could be made in a trilogy bout with McGregor in the UFC, Perez expects 10 times more.
At least $20 million, $30 million. Come on! UFC’s making a whole lot of money, a whole lot of money and they’re pocketing it. They’re giving more to McGregor, so it’s not fair because it takes two in that ring to draw a crowd – I mean, a good two fighters. It’s just like Mayweather when he fought Berto. It was not even sold out at all. It was embarrassing. It’s because that guy couldn’t draw a crowd. See, that’s what I’m saying, it’s the fighters that draw the crowd, and Nathan and McGregor, third one would be outstanding. Everyone knows that. So he needs to get paid at least $30 million easy.
McGregor calls out Diaz to complete trilogy at 155lbs
McGgregor calls out Diaz for a third fight as his return to the UFC octagon. It’s 1-1 between the two fighters and McGregor is offering Diaz a shot at his lightweight title should the California fighter want to meet him for a third time. McGregor believes that because he re-matched and beat Diaz at 170 pounds, it’s only fair that Diaz comes down to 155 pounds to meet him for the decider.
I faced him at 170lbs, he beat me. I re-matched him at 170lbs, I beat him. Now I’m the 155lbs champion, now if he wants that fight, he must come down – that’s a fair trade. I didn’t ask for the rematch at a lower weight. I asked for it at the exact same weight. I thought that was a fair play move on my behalf and I came in and I won. So now I won the 155lb title after that, so if he wants the fight he has to make the 155lb limit.
McGregor calls out Diaz to complete trilogy at 155lbs
McGregor calls out Diaz for a third fight as his return to the UFC octagon. It’s 1-1 between the two fighters and McGregor is offering Diaz a shot at his lightweight title should the California fighter want to meet him for a third time. McGregor believes that because he re-matched and beat Diaz at 170 pounds, it’s only fair that Diaz comes down to 155 pounds to meet him for the decider.
I faced him at 170lbs, he beat me. I re-matched him at 170lbs, I beat him. Now I’m the 155lbs champion, now if he wants that fight, he must come down – that’s a fair trade. I didn’t ask for the rematch at a lower weight. I asked for it at the exact same weight. I thought that was a fair play move on my behalf and I came in and I won. So now I won the 155lb title after that, so if he wants the fight he has to make the 155lb limit.
Chael Sonnen: McGregor vs Diaz III is next
Former UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen, says McGregor’s next fight will be a rubber fight with Diaz:
I think [McGregor] is going to fight in the UFC. A little inside information, I think it’s Nate Diaz next.
McGregor says he is open to settling the score with a third deciding fight with Diaz by year’s end, recently saying:
I have certainly many contenders in the mixed martial arts game. I have a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz that’s sitting there, I have options.
Diaz: If I was McGregor I’d beat Malignaggi’s ass
Diaz talks about boxers who are criticizing McGregor.
And now all the boxers are criticizing Conor, and Conor won’t get embarrassed, but it’s a real arrogant thing to say…Sparring with some clown from wherever…I’ll beat that guy’s ass too…That guy was on the internet, talking sh-t about him the other day? What kind of sparring partner have you got? I’d shove that guy in the gym and beat his ass if I was Conor…I’d box him in the ring, whoop his ass, and then throw him down at the end…Most people in MMA can’t box. Need a lot of work. Boxers are clowns sometimes…I’m never taking the MMA fighters’over the boxers’ side, when it comes to punching…but we’re talking real fighters now you one-dimensional boxing f-cks.
Nick Diaz: If McGregor can hit Nate, he can hit Mayweather
Nick Diaz says McGregor has an understanding of boxing that could work against Mayweather.
As far as MMA, I want to say there’s maybe five guys that do jiu-jitsu that have an actual level of understanding when it comes to boxing. He obviously does. I feel like, if he can hit my brother he can definitely can put up somewhat of a fight with Floyd, if not actually bring him an actual challenge…I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I could say one thing, I could be wrong. Also, the ups and downs of life, you never know what’s going on. Either one of these guys could have a bad – like the last time my brother fought he had broken ribs, torn rib tissue. Neither one of those fights worked out for him. He had 13 days the first time and the next time he was injured. I was there for it.
Mayweather may ‘walk out’ with Diaz, but not Bieber
Jason Lee, from Mayweather’s entourage, says Mayweather may be walking out with Diaz at the upcoming fight. McGregor lost to Diaz in March of 2016, then beat him in UFC 202, in August 2016.
I was just in London with Floyd when the whole shit went down with Conor and I’m going to make the call to Nate Diaz. I would love to see him walk out with Floyd.
Mayweather has walked out to the ring a number of times with Justin Bieber, but Lee says he doesn’t think Bieber will be there this time.
Bieber found Jesus and he’s somewhere prayed-up. I don’t officially want to say that [Bieber will not walk out with Floyd]. But I just want to say I don’t see Bieber walking out with Floyd.
McGregor ‘would like to’ fight Nurmagomedov; Diaz ‘so bitter’
Following the final press conference of the world tour in London, McGregor talks about fighting Nurmagomedov in Russia:
It’s certainly one of the things I would like to do. Whether it’s next, I don’t know. I don’t even know how close the Russia thing is. Whether Khabib can pull his shit together; he missed weight…There’s a few of them in the mix. A few of them need to pull their shit together, though, and get interest going and get me interested. Right now I don’t actually see anything.
On Nate Diaz:
That Diaz trilogy is also on my mind. He should really be thankful. Before he fought me he was [getting paid] 20,000 to show and 20,000 to win. His 19th fight in the UFC, and he was on 40 grand. Now he’s a multi-millionaire. So, I don’t know why he’s sitting there so bitter. Maybe them smacks he took in that rematch messed with his head a little bit. I hope not, but I think they did.
Attar: If not Diaz, Ferguson will fight Nurmagomedov in fall
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Attar says that if Diaz will not fight Ferguson, then he will likely fight Nurmagomedov in the fall
My assumption is that if Nate [Diaz] doesn’t sign on, it’s gonna be Khabib come this fall.
Ferguson to Diaz: ‘You’re delusional, I’m not in cahoots with McGregor’
Ferguson responds to Diaz’s claims that he, McGregor and their manager, Audie Attar, were working together to book a big money fight while McGregor purses a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. In May Diaz said:
I heard Tony’s manager talking, saying that I need to get a fire up under Conor McGregor’s ass if I want to fight him for the third time. Like, I gotta do what? You guys should fight each other, motherf-cker. You guys have the same manager. You guys are working together against me.
To which Ferguson says:
He smokes a lot of good weed, I guess, because he’s got a lot of time on his hands just to do that. The dude’s delusional, man. Obviously I’m not in cahoots with McGregor. If you think that I am, then you’re f-cking high as f-ck. Straight up, he’s smoking that wacky tobacky, because I’m not. I don’t like the dude [McGregor]…Look, this guy was the last person that fought the guy that I want to get to.
Diaz: Why is Aldo ‘crying’ about McGregor?
Diaz calls out Aldo for ‘crying’ about McGregor.
Aldo’s crying about McGregor? I’m like bro, it’s your fault, you took him on that f-cking ride around the world and let him punk you everywhere. You’re responsible, what the f-ck are you crying for? I don’t even know if he’s crying anymore because he got over it, he probably realised that. I’m like bro, you just made a star out of that guy! I wish I had somebody I could just run all around the country and slap around, You know what I’m saying, now I’m the most famous guy in the world and all I had to do was slap around this little f-cker all around the whole place. I don’t mean to disrespect Aldo, but let’s talk the truth here, this is the real hour.
Diaz doesn’t want third McGregor fight
Diaz says he does not want to fight McGregor again.
I don’t want a third fight. F-ck Conor, he can f-ck himself. I never got a compliment for whooping the golden child’s ass. I was made out to be a 200-pound monster who Conor came back and beat. I deserve to be treated with more respect than that…If Floyd beats Conor, who gives a f-ck? I already beat Conor. You beat a guy whose ass I already whooped. I’m calling their bluff. Let’s make the fight happen and then I got the winner.
Diaz turned down Ferguson fight, will not fight this year
Diaz says he turned down a fight with Ferguson, and that he will not fight this year.
I’ve seen rumors about me and my brother fighting people but we haven’t done much talking. I think [the UFC] is trying to bring us back in but all the pressure is coming from these rumors [about who we are fighting]. I plan on sitting out this year and I’m fighting nobody. [The UFC] wants me to fight Tony Ferguson,” Diaz said. “I gladly accepted that fight and then I gladly turned it down because of circumstances. I’m all about the money. If it wasn’t about the money, then what the f-ck are we doing it for?” Diaz said. “[After I turned the fight down], I was ignored.
Attar: Diaz has to get McGregor excitied about a trilogy fight
McGregor’s manager says Diaz has to get McGregor excited, if he wants to get a fight with him.
The Nate Diaz fight interests him..Nate’s sitting on the sidelines (but) you’ve got to get Conor excited. If you want Conor to be excited about you, you gotta go in there and fight, if you want to fight him in the future. Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson for the interim title, that creates narrative. If this thing happens with Floyd, you gotta get Conor excited to get back in there with you
