Conor McGregor to face Nate Diaz in return to UFC
The Sunday World reports McGregor is planning to fight Diaz, in the third round of a trilogy, tentatively scheduled for December 30, in Las Vegas. The Irishman has split the first two bouts against the American fighter, with Diaz winning the first by submission, and McGregor winning the second with a majority decision. It is reported that McGregor’s friends and family are so sure of the fight being announced that they have already booked flights to Las Vegas. Insider:
Conor has told them that only the ‘Is’ have to be dotted and the ‘Ts’ crossed for this to go ahead.
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?
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
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.
UFC ranks McGregor vs. Diaz fights as top two fights in UFC history
To celebrate 25 years of existence, the UFC publishes a list of the top 25 fights in the promotion’s history. The McGregor vs. Diaz rivalry is awarded the top two spots. The first fight, which Diaz memorably won by submission is the runner-up to the dramatic five-round majority decision won by McGregor.
#5 – Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II (January 2011)
#4 – Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II (July 2015)
#3 – Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson I (November 2011)
#2 – Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz I (March 2016)
#1 – Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II (August 2016)
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.
UFC wanted Khabib-McGregor, GSP-Diaz lightweight tournament
The UFC reportedly wanted a lightweight tournament with Nurmagomedov fighting McGregor in the fall and St-Pierre vs Diaz in August, with the two winners facing off at the end of the year. The GSP-Diaz bought was cancelled due to GSP’s illness. St-Pierre:
I’m not ready to fight yet. I need to wait until all the symptoms of my ulcer stop. It’s much better than it was but it’s not 100 percent yet. If I try to return for a training camp for a fight it will amplify and go back to what it was in the beginning. I need to get over this first for my own health and safety.
The Nurmagomedov-McGregor bout is impacted by McGregor’s legal issues. However, Nurmagomedov’s camp has also been pushing for a match up with St-Pierre instead, which they call a “legacy” bout.